Wanna Make a Bet?
by Cocacoriola
Summary: James knows that Lily is too proud to turn down a bet, especially not one that could potentially prove him wrong. He offers, she accepts. They're both determined to win. Who will triumph?
1. Train Ride

**A/N: Okay, so I think I've become a much better writer, so I'm rewriting this. It might take me forever. I've gotten pretty busy with school. Ah well, let's see how this goes. :D**

**Wanna Make a Bet?**

**Chapter One – Train Ride**

**Lily's P.O.V.**

_My name is Lily. Last name, Evans. I'm seventeen and I attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I have three best friends, Andriana Brown, Kaitlyn Topher, and Tiffany Georges, all of whom go to school with me. In fact, we're all in Gryffindor. More on them later. Right now I'm suppose to be packing for my last year at Hogwarts, but I'm talking to myself instead. That's weird, isn't it? _I sigh and then move to my closet. The double doors are standing wide open and I try to decide which clothes to take for the weekends and breaks. In my trunk, which sits open on my bed, I have already folded my robes neatly, lying them over my stacked books.

After staring into my closet for about ten minutes, I just reach in and begin pulling clothes out. Shirt, shorts, jeans, sweaters, a beanie, a scarf, and more. I fold it all and stuff it into my trunk, barely managing to close the lid. When the buckle clicks shut, I sit down on the edge of my bed and wipe my forehead, then glance out the window. The sky is starting to turn orange and pink, signaling sunset. I should be going downstairs to have a last meal with my family before leaving for a year, but I don't want to face Petunia right now. Her snide remarks have been getting worse.

The sky turns a darker orange, and my mum calls me from downstairs. "Lily! Dinner!" I stand up and make my way downstairs, stopping briefly to wash my hands. When I reach the kitchen, I am surprised and angry to find my sister's boyfriend, Vernon, sitting in my chair, my sister beside him, and my father across from him. My mother is still at the stove, dumping the last of the potatoes from the pot onto a large plate. I stand in the doorway, staring at the table. My dad looks up. "Hey, Lily-Billy," he says, smiling.

"Where am I suppose to sit?" I ask abruptly.

"Just pull up a chair from the living room," my mother says, depositing the plate on the table.

"He's in my seat," I say pointedly.

"Oh Lily, it's not really that big a deal. Just grab a chair and sit down."

"No thank," I say, angry that my sister had ruined things once again. I turn on my heel and storm out of the room and down the hall to the front door. I open it and step outside onto the porch, slamming it with all my might. I don't care if my actions seem bratty; I'm mad, and I don't want to have a family dinner with that walrus of a boy. I've never liked him. Petunia influenced him right away, and he's never been nice to me. I'm halfway down the street when I realize I did exactly what Petunia wanted me to do. But I can't go back now. So I keep walking, kicking stray rocks as I go. At the end of the street, I turn the corner and follow the side walk into town. I'm hungry, so when I spot a fast food restaurant, I stop and a pull a few dollars out of my pocket.

I go inside, and am nearly overwhelmed with the smell of grease. But I'm hungry, so I proceed to the counter and place an order, then pay for it. When I'm handed my food in a brown paper bag, along with a cup of soda, I take a seat at a small, rather dirty table. I take my food out of the bag and eat it, drinking my soda with every bite. When I finished, I crumple everything up and throw it in the garbage can. Finally, I step back out into the fresh air. It's getting dark now, and I need to get an early start in the morning, but I don't want to go home just yet.

However, since I can't think of anywhere else to go, I walk home. It gets darker with every step I take. When I reach the house, I pause, staring up at it. I don't want to go through the front door, so I go around the side of the house and climb up the tree beside my window. Luckily, I didn't shut it like I normally do. I crawl in through the opening and cross my room to shut the door. I move my trunk off of my bed and change into my pajamas. After brushing my hair and pulling it back into a ponytail, I pull back the blankets and crawl into bed. I'm asleep before I know it.

-x-x-x-x-

**James' P. O. V.**

I throw back the covers, stand up, and stretch. Running a hand through my messy, jet black hair, I yawn widely. I spot my trunk in the corner and remember what day it is. I'm going back to Hogwarts in just a few hours. My last year of magic education before I go off into the world. My last change to charm Lily Evans before she disappears forever. I've loved Lily Evans since the day I met her, but she hates me. Lily think I'm a stuck-up git who likes picking on little kids and Snivellus. But I don't pick on little kids. Just Snape.

And sure, I do have a bit of a fondness for pranks, but I've never hurt anyone. I mean, there was that one time Snape almost got hurt, but I saved him. Doesn't that count for anything? I go over to the dresser and quickly change into a pair of jeans and a dark grey t-shirt, then trot downstairs into the kitchen, where my breakfast is waiting for me. As always. I sit and begin shoveling eggs and bacon into my mouth, occasionally pausing to take a long drink of orange juice. When I finish eating, I take my glass and plate and put them in the sink. My parents are probably both at work, so I go upstairs to retrieve my trunk and bring it down for the driver.

Since my parents are gone nearly all the time, and I never learned how to drive, my parents hired a wizard that does, and pay him handsomely. While I'm away, though, he works at a shop in Diagon Alley. His name is Taylor, and he's a pretty cool guy. When I drag my trunk downstairs and out the front door, Taylor is waiting for me, leaning against his car. I throw my trunk into the back and climb in. Taylor slides in behind the wheel, and we're leaving my house. The drive to King's Cross Station only takes about an hour, and I occupy myself with thinking about what to say when I see Lily.

When we arrive, I get out of the car, grab my trunk, and wave goodbye to Taylor. He drives off, and I check my watch. 10:30. I have half an hour to get my stuff on the Hogwarts Express, find Lily, and charm the pants off her. Er... In a hypothetical way. I lug my trunk over to a cart and heave it on. I push the cart down the crowded walkway of King's Cross Station, keeping my eyes out for Platforms 9 and 10. You'd think by now I'd know exactly where it is, but seeing as I only come here twice a year, it's a bit hard to commit to memory. When I spot the little signs that signal platforms 9 and 10, I angle myself at the wall that conceals Platform 9 ¾, and walk quickly towards it. The wall melts away around me, and I'm standing in a group of wizards and witches, all waiting to get on the train to Hogwarts.

I only have to push through the crowd for a few minutes before I find my best friend, Sirius Black. His sleek black hair has grown out to shoulder length, and his dog-like brown eyes are dancing happily. "It feels great to get out of that hell-hole," he says, meaning his house. Sirius doesn't get along with the rest of his family; he wasn't like the rest of his family in almost any way. And I'm glad, because otherwise we wouldn't be friends.

"Ready to go back to school?" I ask grinning.

"Anywhere is better than the 'Most noble and ancient house of Black'," Sirius says, mocking his mother. "Come on, let's go get a seat on the train." We pull our trunks off the carts and push our way into one of train's doorways. We follow the hallway nearly all the way down, to the back of the train, where it's mostly empty. Sirius and I open the door to one of the empty compartments and put our trunks in the racks above the seats, then make ourselves comfortable. I stretch out across one of the seats, and Sirius does the same on the other seat.

"Seen Lily yet?" Sirius asks me.

I shake my head. "Not yet. But don't worry, I'll find her." I grin. "She'll have to deal with me anyways."

"Why?" Sirius asks, sitting up, his eyes tinged with confusion.

"Because I got this." My smile widens as I pull a badge out of my pocket. It's small, shiny, and gold, and has the words _'Head Boy'_ written across it.

Sirius' mouth drops open. "No way. You? Head Boy? Is Dumbledore insane?"

"I'm sure that's exactly what Lily is going to say. But we all know she got the Head Girl position. So she and I are going to be spending a lot of time together. By the end of the year, she won't be able to resist me."

"What's that?" The compartment door slides closed as my other best friend, Remus Lupin, enters. His sandy brown hair is falling in his face, and his dark blue eyes are tired. His skin is on the pale side, but at least his robes aren't too shabby. He'd been lacking money the past few years, but his father finally landed a good job over the summer, and they had more money to spend on Remus' school supplies.

"Hey, Remus," I say, sitting up to make room for him. He sits down besides me and smiles at the two of us. "How was your summer?"

"Not too bad," Remus says, "Except for the full moons. But it'll be better now that I have you guys again."

"It's the highlight of my month," I assure him. I know it makes him feel better that we totally and completely support him, whereas most people would be afraid of him if they knew.

We sit around chatting for a while, when finally the compartment door slides open one last time, and Peter Pettigrew enters, taking his sit quietly beside Sirius. Peter is usually very quiet at first, until he warms up to us again. To be honest, I'm not sure how we ended up being friends, but I love the little guy. We include him in our conversation, and a few minutes later, the train begins to move. I glance at my watch. "Well," I say, standing up and stretching. "I better go meet Lily. She's probably wondering where the Head Boy is."

"Head Boy?" Peter squeaks.

"That's right," I say, smiling widely. I wave goodbye to my friends and follow the train hallway back to the very front, where the Heads compartment is. I'm pleased to see that Lily is already there, waiting. I enter, and she looks up quickly. When she sees it's me, she scowls and turns away.

"You're not allowed in here, Potter. It's for Heads only. And I don't want to deal with you right now. Now go away, before the Head Boy gets here."

"Oh, you're waiting for the Head Boy?" I ask innocently.

"Yes," she says, turning around to glare at me.

"Well you're looking at him."

**A/N: Thoughts? The second chapter will be the rest of the train ride, and then probably the feast... And the bet will come in chapter three. Please review and let me know what you think of it!**

**- This Author Person-Face**


	2. Annoying Meetings

**A/N: Only one review? Aww... Come on, guys! Reviews make the world go round, dontchaknow?**

**Wanna Make a Bet?**

**Chapter Two – Annoying Meetings**

**James' P. O. V.**

Lily looks dumbstruck. "You're the Head Boy? Impossible."

"Oh, but it's true." I smile. I'm enjoying this.

"But you weren't even a prefect!" she sputters.

"Doesn't matter," I respond. "Dumbledore chose me as Head Boy, so you're just going to have to get over it. We're going to be spending a lot of time together."

Lily makes a face. "I'd rather go swimming with the giant squid," she mutters. It's quiet for a few moment, and then she stands up. Tossing her flaming red hair over shoulders, she glares at me and says, "Come on, we have to go instruct the prefects on how to patrol the corridors."

"Alright," I say. "Lead the way."

I grin when she makes another face at me and storms out of the Head's Compartment. We go next door to the Prefects Compartment, where a dozen prefects are waiting for us. Lily makes it perfectly clear that she's going to be doing all the talking, and that I better keep quiet in the corner or she'll hurt me. I play along with her, but not because I'm afraid. I want to be on Lily's good side this year. If I don't get her this year, my life will be over. And no, I don't think I'm being dramatic.

When Lily is finished explaining how to patrol and what to do if someone is breaking the rules, she watches the prefects file out of the compartment. When they're gone, she whips around to face me, hands on her hips. "Let's get this straight," she says. "I am not going to tolerate you acting like an idiot and abusing your power, okay? I don't know what Dumbledore was thinking, but trust me, one wrong move, and you'll be out."

"Whatever you say, Evans," I say, plopping down on one of the seats. I stretch my legs out across the bench and cross my arms behind my head, relaxing.

"What do you think you're doing?" Lily asks in an icy tone.

"Getting comfortable?"

"No," Lily shakes her head. "No you're not. We have work to do. A lot of work to do. Sit up." She reaches over and picks up a stray clipboard beside her and uncaps the pen that was attached to it. "We need to work out a schedule for when we're going to patrol the corridors and for how long, and most importantly, we need to make the schedule so I'm away from you as much as possible."

I'm quite for a moment. "Why do you hate me so much, Lily?"

Lily looks up at me. For a moment, confusion registers in her emerald-colored eyes, but she shakes it away. "You know exactly why I hate you, James," she says tightly. "You abused my best friend for years, you pick on people, you play too many pranks, and you're always getting into trouble. And have you even bothered to do any homework in the past two years?"

"I believe that friendship ended when Snivellus called you a you-know-what," I recall.

"That's not the point," she snaps, tapping the pen against the clipboard in an irritating manner.

"And I have been doing my homework, thanks. I got all Os and As in my classes."

"Really?" Lily asks dubiously.

"Really."

"Whatever. This is completely off the topic. We really need to make this schedule."

I think about this for a moment. "Nah," I say, leaning back.

"What?" she asks.

"I don't feel like it right now."

"You're joking right?" Lily says. "This isn't funny. James, this has to get done!"

"Why can't we do it later?" I push myself up on my elbow and stare at her.

"Because I want to get it over with and then avoid you for the rest of the train ride, okay? I don't want to spend the entire day with you, and I know you want to get back to your stupid friends and brag about everything that's happened." She stares me down, challenging me to correct her. I think about it, but decide against it. _Get her on your side_, I tell myself several times. So I sit up and give her my full attention.

"Okay. Make the schedule."

Lily rolls her eyes. We spend the next hour creating a schedule to follow every night, patrolling the corridors for two hours each. "I don't know when I'm going to have time to sleep," I complain. "Between this, classes, and homework, and I'm going to be awake for the next year."

"Don't whine," Lily tells me. "Being Head Boy is a great honor, you know."

I raise an eyebrow. "Honor?"

Lily nods vigorously. "Even though you don't deserve it, a lot of people will assume you're a good, reliable, hard-worker when they find out that you were Head Boy at Hogwarts, and they'll want to hire you."

I shrug. "It doesn't really matter to me." Lily looks at me like she thinks I'm crazy. I guess she doesn't know how well off my family is. It's not something I like to brag about, to be honest. I want people to like me for who I am, not for what my parents have. But Lily would hate me either way. She's just that kind of person. She doesn't care how much money someone has, or their position in the Ministry, or any of that. She cares about personality, and good things you do. Or bad, in my case.

Hugging the clipboard to her chest, Lily stands up. "I'm going back to my friends," she says. "See you later. I guess." She leaves the compartment, and I stare off after her. It's a few minutes before I push myself into a standing position and leave the Head's compartment, too. I don't bother looking for Lily on my way back to my friends, and when I enter our compartment, I don't say anything to them about her, like I know they're expecting me to.

"Well that was boring," I say. "I'm going to have to do this all year?"

"Sucks to be you, mate," Sirius says.

_You have no idea,_ I think.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**Lily's P.O.V.**

"How did it go?" Kaitlyn asks as soon as I walk in.

I groan. "James Potter is the Head Boy."

"What?" my three friends shout in unison.

"You've got to be kidding," Andriana says, tucking a few strands of dark brown hair behind her ear. She looks at me, waiting for me to continue the story.

"I was sitting around in the compartment, waiting for the Head Boy when James walks in, and he asked me if I was waiting for the Head Boy, which I obviously was. I told him to get lost, and he told me he was the Head Boy. He had the badge and everything. And no one else came in to say he was lying."

"Harsh," Tiffany says. She's lounging across one of the benches, her legs resting on Kaitlyn's lap. Kaitlyn has a thick book in her hands, her finger stuck between the pages to save her place. I sit down beside Andriana and lean my head against the window.

"This was going to be a great year, and now it's ruined, all because of James Potter," I grumble. "How am I going to get anything done if he's around, constantly harassing me? And now I have spend even more time with him because he's Head Boy. Do you think Dumbledore hates me? Do you think he did this to torture me?"

Kaitlyn gives me a look. "I really doubt Dumbledore is trying to torture you. What would he have against you? You get fantastic grades, you've never broken any rules, you always help people..." She trails off. "The point is, Dumbledore probably thinks you're a little angel that can help James see the error of his ways."

I snort. "That'll never happen. He's set in his ways, and James Potter will never change."

"I agree with Lily," Tiffany says.

This sets off a small argument as we try to decide what possible reason Dumbledore could have had for making James Head Boy. When we're finished with that, we play a few dozen rounds of cards, until I glance out the window and notice that the sky is beginning to turn dark. The four of us change into our robes and continue to play cards until the train pulls into the station. Kaitlyn and Tiffany won most of the games. I jump up suddenly, remembering that I have to go help guide students off the train and into Hogsmeade. "I have to go!" I say frantically, dashing out of the compartment and to the nearest door. I yank it open and hop out, relieved that I made it in time. Kids start pouring out of the train, and I do my best to guide them towards Hogsmeade, except for the first years, who are directed towards Hagrid, the grounds keeper.

When the last students have trailed off the train, I shut my door and follow the path up to the gate that signals the start of Hogsmeade. Kaitlyn, Tiffany, and Andriana didn't wait for me. Instead, waiting for me is James. I groan when I see him, but I keep walking. This means I'll have to ride up to Hogwarts in a carriage with him. I climb into the horseless carriage first, and James follows after me. We're the only two left, so the carriage begins rolling up the hill to Hogwarts. It's a long, silent, and rather uncomfortable ride. I keep my eyes averted from James, but I can tell he's watching me. It's awkward, and I want nothing more than to jump out of the carriage and just run the rest of the way to Hogwarts.

When the carriage comes to a stop, I do jump out, and I walk quickly inside and turn into the Great Hall. I take my place beside Kaitlyn at the Gryffindor table, and James sits at the other end with Sirius, Remus, and Peter. I'm relieved. If I have to spend anymore time with him today, I'm going to explode. The sorting is interesting, and I pay special attention since it'll be my last. We gain a bunch of nice, sweet-looking first years, all of whom are wide-eyed with wonder. I remember how I felt when I first came to Hogwarts. It was astonishing to see something so beautiful and wonderful and know you were a part of it.

When the last first year was sorted, Dumbledore stood up and gave a speech like he always did before the feast, then said a few choice words, and our food appeared on our plates. Hungry, I grabbed chicken, potatoes, salad, a vegetable casserole, and more. To drink, I had pumpkin juice. I'd forgotten how much I'd liked pumpkin juice. At home I always drank water or milk, or occasionally grape juice. Here, I had pumpkin juice every day. I just couldn't live without it.

The feast lasts for about an hour, and I manage to forget about James while I'm talking and laughing with my friends, and filling my stomach with delicious food. Just as I take the last bite of my treacle tart, Dumbledore stands up and gives us another speech. This one is longer than the one beforehand, and he gives us any new school rules they've come up with over the summer. Finally, when he's finished speaking, he releases us to go to bed. I round up the group of first years and lead them up to the Gryffindor tower, and show them to their rooms.

Sleepily, I climb the stairs to the girl's dormitory and enter my room. Andriana, Tiffany, and Kaitlyn are already lying in bed, asleep. The fifth girl we share our room with, Penny, is getting ready for bed. I pull my robes off and slip into my pajamas, the slide under the warm, soft blankets on my bed. Sleep envelopes me immediately.

**A/N: Hrrrm? Thoughts? I'd really like some reviews! They would be super extremely appreciated. -hinthintnudgenudge- Bet will be coming up in the next chapter.**


	3. The Bet

**A/N: Well... I'm a little disappointed with the lack of reviews. It doesn't exactly make me want to keep writing. :P But oh well. I'll keep chugging along. I think I can, I think I can, I think I- Oh, wait, I'm not a train. Anyways, school has kept me from updating, but now that I'm on Christmas break, I'll try to update more.**

**Wanna Make a Bet?**

**Chapter Three – The Bet**

**Lily's P.O.V.**

When I wake up early the next morning, I feel refreshed and ready for the first day of school. No one is awake yet but me, so I slip my robes out of my trunk and go change in the bathroom. I put on my school uniform and then slip the black robe on over it. I finger the sleeves, which are lined with red to represent Gryffindor. Then I look in the mirror and see my hair in a rat's nest and sigh. I pick up my brush, which is lying on the counter, and begin brushing my hair. When it's smooth and shiny, I twist it into a braid and tie off the end.

"Perfect," I say quietly to myself. When I go back into the dormitory, only Andriana is awake. She's dressed in her uniform and Gryffindor robe as well, and is brushing her short, dark chocolate-colored hair. She turns when I come in and gives me one of her famous smiles. "Morning, Lily!" she says.

"Morning," I say. I go over to my bed and pick up my book bag, setting it down on the bed to examine the contents and make sure I have everything I need. Books, quills, parchment, wand... Everything is there. I check the magic clock we have, and decide to wake Kaitlyn and Tiffany. Regular electronics don't work at Hogwarts, so we have a magic box that bleats the time like a sheep when it's tapped. I shake Kaitlyn's shoulder first, since she's the hardest to get up.

Kaitlyn groans and rolls over. "Go away," she mutters. I look over at Andriana, and she nods in agreement. She takes my place beside Kaitlyn's bed, and shakes her shoulder. Kaitlyn's honey blonde hair falls in her face and she swats Andriana's hand away. I shake Tiffany's shoulder while Andriana deals with Kaitlyn, and Tiffany blinks her eyes open slowly, then sits up.

"Good morning," Tiffany says through a big yawn.

Finally, Andriana manages to get Kaitlyn out of bed. Kaitlyn and Tiffany change and go to the loo to fix their hair and makeup. When everyone is ready, we go downstairs to the common room. My eyes search the room to make sure James doesn't sneak up on me, but it looks like he's still asleep. How very lazy of him. We don't stick around to find out if I'm right, I usher the girls out of the common room and down to the Great Hall.

Professor McGonagall is there, and she hands us our schedules as we sit down at the table. I'm pleased to see that I have Potions first. It's my best subject. But, as McGonagall reminds me, I'll have to be late to class. It is the Head Girl's duty to patrol the hallways for the first few minutes and make sure no one is late or goofing off. I take a bite of toast and join in my friends' conversation. "I hope there's a Yule Ball this year," Tiffany says.

Andriana nods in agreement. "There hasn't been one since second year," she says.

"I hear they are," Kaitlyn says, "But you have to be a fourth year to attend."

"Lucky we're seventh years now," I reply, smiling. "I wonder why they changed it? We attended second year."

Kaitlyn shrugs. "Maybe they think the third years are too young to come."

"The adults get weirder every year," I say, but I don't add anything more. When we're finished with breakfast, Kaitlyn goes down to the dungeons to wait for Potions, while Tiffany and Andriana head off to Divination. I stay at the Gryffindor table, alone, until the bell has rung. I stand up and find that James is still in the Great Hall as well. I roll my eyes.

"Going to show some first years how to get to class?" James calls to me.

"That's the idea," I retort. "What are you planning on doing, skiving off class?"

"Oh Lily, the Head Boy would never skip class," James says, as though he were an angel.

"I still don't know _how_ you made Head Boy," I mutter, "You were never even a prefect."

"Who knows?" James says, throwing his arms into the air, "But I think it might be fate, don't you?"

I snort. "Fate?" I begin walking to the door, and we enter the Entrance Hall. James is still following me. "Why would you think it's fate that we were made the Head Boy and Girl?"

"Dumbledore clearly thinks we're meant to be," James tells me.

"In your dreams," I say.

"Every night," he answers with a grin.

I shake my head. "Why don't you just go to class?" I ask. "It's not like you're going to help anyone anyways."

James makes a face. "I'm not really that into Potions."

I let out a loud sigh. "Great, I have class with you, too?"

"It's fate," James says, grinning again.

"I think it's just irritating."

"Look, Evans, why do you hate me so much?"

"Well I hate it when you call me Evans," I say, "Because my name is Lily. And I also hate you because you're a bully, you're arrogant, obnoxious, conceited, lazy, a toe rag, and obnoxious."

"You said obnoxious twice," James tells me.

"It's because you've got plenty to spare," I reply.

"I bet," he says, "That if I kissed you, you'd fall totally and completely in love with me."

I let out a short laugh. "Do you really?" James nods and I halt. "Alright then, it's a bet."

James looks surprised. "Seriously?"

"Do I look like I'm kidding?" I ask. "Go ahead."

A sly smile crosses his face. He steps towards me, and instinctively, I take a step back. This continues until I'm against the cold, stone wall. James places his hands on my upper arms, pinning me in place. He leans in to me, and stops just centimeters away. I look up at his eyes, which are a bright hazel color. Funny I've never noticed before. Reluctantly, my eyes drift down to his lips. They're so close to mine. I can feel his breath, warm on my face. It doesn't smell like breakfast, as I expect it should. I squeeze my eyes shut and wait for him to kiss me.

He doesn't. After a moment, I blink my eyes open. He's still there, but he's leaned away somewhat. "I don't have all day, you know," I tell him. "Are you going to kiss me or not?"

"Nope," James says, releasing my arms. He's grinning again. "No, I'm not going to kiss you right now."

"But you just said-"

"The bet is still on," James tells me, "But I'll be kissing you some other time."

"When?" I demand, placing my hands on my hips.

"When I feel like it." He raises a hand and brushes my cheek gently. "See you in Potions." James turns and disappears down the hall. I stare after him, dumbfounded. And deep down, I feel an odd pang of disappointment.

**James' P.O.V.**

Lily is a little late coming into class, later than she should be with her Head Girl duties. Slughorn looks delighted when she enters and a wide smile breaks out across his face. Lily has that effect on people. You just can't help but smile and stare at her when she walks into a room. Or just happens to pass by you. Or when she has to sit next to you because the only empty seat in the room is at your table. I gett lucky with that last one.

I smile, amused, when she sits down huffily. I don't look at her, but watch her out of the corner of my eye. She seems determined not to look at me, either. She reaches down and pulls her Potions book out of her bag and places it carefully on the table, then leans forward to listen to Professor Slughorn. I should do the same. I listen long enough to hear Slughorn's instructions and flip open my book to the correct potion. I bring my wand out of my pocket and summon the necessary ingredients from the student cabinet.

"Lazy," I hear Lily mutter. My smile grows, but I still don't look at her. I glance down at the book and begin my potion, chopping some green stalk and dropping them into the cauldron in front of me. I start a fire with my wand and continue with the brew. Three quarters of the way through the class, I'm finally finished and I lean back in my chair. My eyes roam around the classroom finally, and I watch everyone else before my eyes go to Lily.

She's working hard, as usual, and she waves her wand over her potion. The liquid seems to be stirring itself. There's a faint smile on her lips, and it proves yet again that she loves Potions. We've had class together since first year and I don't think I've ever seen her unhappy in a Potions class. I can see her becoming a wizard doctor or nurse some day. As I watch, she puts her wand down and sighs contentedly, finished with her potion.

"Five more minutes!" Slughorn calls. I look over at Remus, who is also in the class with me, and decide to go pay him a visit. I lean across his table and look into his cauldron. The liquid is a light, golden brown color as the book describes it should be. My potion has turned out as more of a golden without the brown, but it's better than my usual work. "Nice potion, Moony."

"Thanks," Remus says, smiling slightly. "So you got her to sit next to you."

"I'm making progress," I say. "I'm growing on her, I can tell."

"Take it easy," Remus advises. "The more you push, the more she'll pull away."

"Push and pull," I repeat, "Got it."

"Do you honestly?" Remus asks, giving me a look.

"Mostly," I say. I look down at the table and begin scratching the rough wood with my fingernail.

"What did you do?" Remus asks suspiciously.

"What do you mean?" I ask innocently.

"You do that when you're nervous," he says, meaning the scratching tables with my fingernails.

"I'm not nervous," I insist.

"Then what did you do?"

I open my mouth to tell him, but Slughorn interrupts. "Time for inspection!" he calls to the class. I head back over to my table and slide into the seat next to Lily. She doesn't even glance at me. Her potion is, of course, perfect. It smells like sunflowers, the way it should. My potion doesn't really smell like anything at all, though when Slughorn comes over he smiles brightly and says, "Nice work, Potter. I think I even detect a floral scent. Much better than last year."

"Thank you, sir," I tell him. He moves on to Lily's cauldron. "Perfect!" he shouts. "As usual, my brilliant student makes yet another perfect brew. You are well on your way to greatness," Slughorn tells Lily with a wink. Lily blushes, the way she always does when a teacher compliments her. I love watching her blush. She looks so sweet and innocent.

"And Severus, perfect as well," Slughorn continues, patting Snape on the hand. Snape looks down at his cauldron, trying to ignore the looks everyone gives him. No one dislikes Lily for her brains, but everyone seems to hate that Snape is so good at Potions. Professor Slughorn finishes his rounds about the classroom and dismisses us when the bell rings.

I pick up my bag and sling it over my shoulder. I'm tempted to follow Lily as she hurries out of the classroom, but I wait for Remus instead. "Alright," Remus says, clapping a hand on my shoulder. "What did you do?"

"What makes you think I did something?" I demand.

"Because I know you," Remus says, a little grimly. "So what happened?"

"I made a bet with Lily."

"You _bet_ with her?" Remus sounds incredulous. "What did you bet?"

"That if I kiss her, she'd fall completely and totally in love with me," I admit.

"I take it it didn't go well?" Remus asks. He examines my face. "It doesn't look like she slapped you."

"She didn't, because I haven't kissed her yet."

"What?" Remus asks, halting. "You made a bet with her, she agreed to let you kiss her, and then you _didn't_? Are you alright? Do you need to go to the Hospital Wing?"

"I'm fine," I say, a little irritably. "I have a plan."

"Oh, you have a plan," Remus repeats. "That can't be good."

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"Just that... Well, your plans don't always work," Remus says quietly.

"This one will." It has to. I am going to get Lily to like me no matter what I have to do.

**A/N: And there we go. Chapter 3. c: Chapter 4 will be coming to you as soon as I figure out what to do with it. Yeah. Anywho, please review! It'll make me update sooner, I'll tell you that.**

**Love,**

**This Author Person-Face**


	4. Your Heart's Desire

**A/N: SO SORRY this took me so long to update. I lost inspiration, but I found it again. So hopefully I'll be able to crank out some more chapters, yes? **

**Wanna Make a Bet?**

**Chapter Four – Your Heart's Desire**

**James' P.O.V.**

"Where's Sirius?" I ask as we wait for our other best friend to show up.

"You know how Trewlany is," Remus tells me, "She's probably keeping them over. Or maybe he got lost." Sirius has the tendency to get "lost" in the castle. We have Transfiguration next, though, and Professor McGonagall won't take that excuse. She thinks that since we're seventh years now, we should know the castle like the back of our hands. I actually do, as does Remus, Sirius, and our friend Peter. We created the Marauder's Map because we became so familiar with the school. Now we use it and my invisibility cloak to sneak around the castle.

"When is the next full moon?" I ask Remus, searching the crowds for Sirius.

"Next week," Remus says quietly, glancing down at the floor. He's always a little sensitive about this subject. Finally, Sirius appears, grinning and shaking his shoulder-length black hair out of his face. His grey eyes are dancing with amusement. I know that look.

"What happened?" I'm eager to hear what Sirius has cooked up this time.

"I conjured up a few friends for Trewlany," Sirius says, his smile growing. "But come on, we'd better get to Transfiguration or McGonagall will fry us up for dinner."

"What kind of friends?" Remus asks cautiously, as we're joined by Peter and we make our way to Transfiguration class.

"Just a little snake or two...," Sirius says, his grin ever widening.

"Snakes?" Remus asks flatly. "You're going to get a month worth of detention for that."

"It was just a few garter snakes," Sirius replies, shrugging. "She won't even know it was me."

"You're the only trouble maker in her class," Peter squeaks. Sirius glares at him, and he shuts up, turning a slight red color. Sirius' annoyance is forgotten, however, when we enter the Transfiguration classroom.

"Potter," McGonagall barks. "Shouldn't you be guiding first years to their classes?"

"Well," I hedge, "See, Lily is doing that and I just thou-"

"You just thought you could slack off?" she asks. "I don't think so. You are the _Head Boy_, representing Gryffindor. Get out there and herd first years." She practically shoves me out the door, and for a moment I'm caught in the stream of students pushing their way to their classes. I manage to get out of the way, and look around for some helpless looking kids. I spot a few within seconds. With a sigh, I go over to them. "Lost, kids?" I ask them.

They look up at me, a little scared, and nod. "What class do you have?"

"We have Potions," the smallest, a girl, pipes up.

"Potions, huh? Right this way," I motion my arms with a flourish, and the girl giggles. I lead them to the stairs that lead down to the dungeons and then return to Transfiguration class. Lily is already at her seat beside Andriana, so I have to take the empty seat next to Sirius. Peter is next to Remus in front of us.

Unlike other classes, Professor McGonagall commands my attention when she teaches. So I'm not able to spend the class period staring at the back of Lily's head like I want to. I don't know why I spend so much time watching Lily, but I do. Maybe if I watch enough, I'll understand her crazy behavior. Maybe, but not likely. I don't think it's possible that I'll ever understand women.

McGonagall doesn't got easy on us, and we leave class loaded down with homework. "It's going to take all night to do this," I complain.

"It won't take very long if you actually concentrate," Remus tells me dryly.

There's a moment of silence, and Sirius says, "He'll never get it done." He laughs, and leads the way up to the Gryffindor common room, where we abandon our bags in a heap on the dormitory floor before going back downstairs to the Great Hall for lunch. When we reach the Gryffindor table, I'm pleased to see all the food heaped on the table. That was one of the biggest things I had missed about Hogwarts; All the amazing, delicious food.

We sit down in our usual places, Sirius and I on one side, Remus and Peter opposite us. I immediately grab two drumsticks and a pork chop. We dig in, hungry from a morning of boring, intense classes. We eat in silence until Remus opens his mouth. "Doesn't it embarrass you at all, the way you eat?"

Sirius and I look at each other. "No," we say in unison, past mouthfuls of food. Remus looks a little disgusted, but doesn't say anything else after that. I cram as much food into my stomach as I can during the half hour lunch period. When we're finished eating, the four of us go back upstairs for our books. Our next class is Charms, a two hour long class. Those classes are basically the bane of my existance. But luckily (I've been pretty lucky this year already), Lily was in that class with me as well.

I'm sure you're wondering how I know what classes Lily has. Well, I sneaked a look at her schedule. Yep, I was a bad boy. Oh well, I've done much worse. And the other thing is, I'm really not that good at Charms. If my luck continues, Flitwick will assign her as my tutor. I can just see it happening. All I have to do is completely blow off my Charms homework tonight. That shouldn't be too hard, seeing as I have enough homework already, _and _I have to patrol the corridors.

I leave Sirius, Remus, and Peter at the entrance to Charms, and head off to find Lily. We can herd some first years together, and she won't be able to yell at me in front of them. I duck into a mostly deserted corridor before pulling the Marauder's Map out of my pocket. I find that Lily isn't too far down the hall, with some first years. I hurry to join her. She doesn't look happy to see me, but she doesn't send me off, either. That's a good sign. We take the first years to their Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

"Alright," she says, turning on me when the first years are gone, "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to help," I say innocently.

"Uh huh, sure." She crosses her arms over her chest and gives me a look.

"Alright, you caught me. I just wanted to see you," I admit.

She looks a little startled, but quickly regains her composure. "I told you, I don't want anything to do with you, James Potter."

"Why can't you just give me a chance?" I ask.

"I did. On the day I met you. And you blew it almost immediately. I don't think I've ever seen another eleven-year-old that could get into _so _much trouble."

"So you don't like me because I'm trouble?"

"Exactly," Lily says.

I step over to her and lean down. "Trouble can be exciting," I whisper, my mouth brushing her earlobe.

Lily jerks back, her face red. "Go away," she says. "Please."

"I can't. We have class together," I reply.

"How do you know that?" she demands.

Busted. "Remus told me," I lied.

"How does he know?" She's definitely suspicious.

"You must have told him."

"I didn't." She's positive about this.

I shrug it off. "Well, I don't know then."

Lily glares at me for a while, then says, "Come on, let's get to class." Her voice is icy. I walk a few steps behind her, and we end up having to sit next to each other again. She's really not happy about this. I give a small sigh. I wasn't happy, either. Lily hated me, and it seemed like there was nothing I could do to change it.

**Lily's P.O.V.**

"What a stupid, _stupid_ idea," I mutter to myself on my way to Herbology. Why would I ever think it was a good idea to make a bet with James? The only reason I had agreed to it was because I thought James was going to kiss me right then, but he didn't. Now I have to watch out, because he officially has the right to kiss me whenever he wants. Only once, though. I meet up with the girls in the Entrance Hall, and Tiffany leads the way down to the green houses. I glare out at the lake, still unable to believe that I fell for his stupid trick.

"Lily?" Andriana asks cautiously. "Are you alright?"

"No," I sigh, "I'm not."

"What's wrong?" Kaitlyn puts a comforting arm around my shoulder.

"If you must know," I begin, "I made a bet with James."

"Potter?" Andriana and Kaitlyn ask together.

"Yes, Potter. He told me if he kissed me, I'd fall totally in love with him. So I told him to go ahead. But he didn't kiss me. He decided to wait. I wouldn't have agreed to it if I hadn't thought he was going to kiss me right then and there," I fret.

I could hear what they weren't saying. "What a stupid thing to do. You should know better than to make a bet with _James Potter_." I admit it, I had let my pride get away with me. My friends don't seem to know what to say to me as we walk to Herbology. The silence is a little uncomfortable, and I can't stop thinking about the feeling I'd gotten when James had whispered in my ear. I push the memory away, and let out a moan. "I'm so stupid."

"No you're not," Tiffany says immediately. "You just weren't thinking straight is all."

"If she'd been thinking straight, she wouldn't have agreed to the- Ow!" Kaitlin ends her sentence with a yelp as Andriana elbows her in the side.

"I should have never let him trick me," I say bitterly. "Now I spend all my time worrying about when he's going to do it." I shudder. But the strangest part is, while I'm revolted by the idea of kissing James Potter... I'm also not. _Ugh, _I think, _what is wrong with me?_ I shake my head, in an attempt to clear my mind, and enter Greenhouse 4 with Tiffany, Kaitlyn, and Andriana.

The lesson is actually interested, and takes my mind off my own stupidity. Professor Sprout, a new teacher this year, starts us off with a short story about herself, and how she came to be our professor. I like her immediately. She seems surprised to have so many seventh years, but a good number of us haven't decided exactly what we want to do when we leave school. We were suppose to pick a job at the end of fifth year, but most of us just picked the same classes we've been taking.

There are so many jobs I can take after this year, but I haven't been able to choose one. None of them have been calling my name, the way being a nurse at St. Mungo's has been calling Tiffany, or the way being a part of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures calls Kaitlyn. Being a part of the Ministry would be a good job, but I'm not sure which Department to choose. And on the other hand, owning my own shop in, say, Diagon Alley would be a lot of fun as well. Ah well, I still have time to chose a career.

When Herbology is over, we have an hour break before dinner. Andriana and I immediately claim a table in the Gryffindor common room to get started on our fortunately small pile of homework, while Kaitlyn and Tiffany decide to play Exploding Snap instead. The only homework we have is Charms and Transfiguration, because Slughorn was so pleased with our work today that he didn't give out any homework, and Sprout was trying to get on our good side by not giving any first day homework.

At first, the explosions from Kaitlyn and Tiffany's game is distracting, but I manage to block it out and continue with my homework. By the time dinner is ready, I have finished Charms. Tomorrow, we'll only have History of Magic and Defense Against the Dark Arts, and several free periods for working on homework. The younger students were always jealous of our free periods, but they don't seem to understand that we spend all day doing homework. When Kaitlyn and Tiffany finish their final game of Exploding Snap, we head downstairs to the Great Hall.

Dinner is a rather unexciting affair, which is odd for the first day back. Usually James and his friends have some sort of prank planned to welcome the new first years. Perhaps being made Head Boy has stopped him from pulling a 'Welcome to Hogwarts' prank. I can only hope. After we've finished eating, the four of us decide to take a quick walk around the grounds. The sun is just beginning to sink below the distant hills, and I can't resist the pull of going outdoors to enjoy the last bits of sunshine.

Andriana takes the lead and goes down to the edge of the Black Lake. She sits down, pulls her shoes and socks off, and allows the dark water to lap gently over her feet. The rest of us follow suit, and the cool water is calming. When darkness has settled in, we return to the castle and to the common room. I'm not in the mood for homework anymore, so I read in a chair by the fire until it's time to start patrolling the corridors.

"Has anyone seen James?" I ask as I get ready to leave, realizing I haven't seen him or any of his friends since Herbology that afternoon. "If he thinks he's going to get away with blowing off the nightly patrols...," I begin to threaten.

"No need to panic, Miss Head Girl," a smooth voice says from behind me. I whirl around to see James standing in the entrance. Sirius, Remus, and Peter are scurrying up to their dormitory. I give them a hard look, wave goodbye to my friends, and stalk out of the common room. James is right behind me.

"What have you been up to?" I demand as soon as the portrait swings shut behind him.

"What makes you think I'm always up to something?" he replies.

"Because you always are!"

"Fair enough. But tonight, Evans, we were in the library, doing our homework. Honest."

He seems to be telling the truth. Instead of accusing him further, I grumble, "I hate it when you call me Evans."

"Right, sorry," he says quickly. I don't answer, and it's silent as I patrol the hallway. I don't know why he's following me, seeing as he's suppose to cover a completely different part of the castle, but I don't tell him to go away.

"Lily?" he says, softly, after a few minutes.

"What?" I ask stiffly.

"Can I show you something?"

Alright. That's a random question, completely out of the blue. Certainly unexpected. "What?" I repeat, more suspiciously this time.

"You'll see," he says, a smile forming on his face. "But I think you'll like it."

I hesitate. Following him to where ever it is he wants to go is probably a worse idea than agreeing to that bet. But that stupid side of me comes out and says, "Fine. Show me."

His smile turns into a near-wolfish grin, and I immediately regret my decision. But I follow as he turns around, leads me down a small, unused hallway, up the stairs, around the corner, through several more halls, and into a dusty classroom. There are all sorts of cobwebs and other signs of decay. On the dust-covered floor are fresh footprints. This is probably where James and the other Marauder's had been earlier.

"You want to show me a dusty classroom?" I ask, unimpressed.

"No," James tells me, shaking his head. A strand of jet black hair falls in his face and he pushes it away impatiently. He goes over to the corner and pulls a heavy drape off some tall object. The blue fabric falls to the ground to reveal a tall mirror.

"A mirror?" I asked. More impressive than a dusty classroom, but not by much.

"It's a special mirror. Come over here," he commands. I obey, and go to stand in front of the mirror. When I position myself, he says, "Go ahead. Look at it."

I turn my gaze to the mirror and see an image I haven't seen in over six years. Petunia, my only sister, is looking at me. Fondly. Pride is radiating from her gaze, and she opens her arms to me, offering a hug. My eyes sting with tears. My sister is... accepting me. I close my eyes for a second, and then look back to James. "What is this?"

"It's called the Mirror of Erised," James replies.

I stare at him uncomprehendingly. "What does it do?"

"It shows your heart's desire," he explains.

"Your heart's desire," I repeat at a whisper. "Heart's... desire." I look back into the mirror. There she is, my big sister, whom I looked up to for so many years. My best friend for my entire life. The person who had loved me unconditionally... Until the day I turned eleven and learned I was a witch. All I had ever wanted from that day was to regain the old, easy relationship I'd had with my sister. But she had hated me. From the moment I opened the letter, I was no longer her sister. I was a freak that belonged in a circus.

My throat is tight, and I'm afraid I might cry. I turn away from both the mirror and James, regain my composure, and face them again. James looks concerned. "You alright?"

"Yeah," I say lightly, "Just fine."

"You sure?" James doesn't seem convinced.

"Of course," I say, forcing a laugh. There's an awkward moment of silence, before I think of something else to say. "What do you see when you look in the mirror?"

"Hmm?"

"What's your heart's desire?"

"What's my heart's desire?" James says. "Are you sure you want to know?"

"Positive," I respond.

"You."

My breath catches. "Me?"

"You," he says, nodding. A faint smile plays on his face.

"Wow," I say shakily. "I don't think I've ever been anyone's heart's desire before."

"You're special, Lily. I would do anything to be with you. You just don't want to listen. This has never been a joke. I really think I'm in love with you, Lils." His face is utterly serious, and my brain freezes.

"I have to go," I blurt. Before I really realize what I'm doing, I'm out the door and running down the hallway. This night has been too much for me.

**A/N: And that's where I shall end it for now. I hope you enjoyed it! I know it's highly unlikely that the Mirror of Erised would be at Hogwarts during James and Lily's seventh year, but I thought it was a good idea for the chapter. Anyways, please leave me a review! I always appreciate them. :D**


	5. An Invitation and a Surprise

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who left a review! I really appreciated it. :) Especially since the story was on hold for about three months. I'm surprised I got as many reviews as I did, and very happy about it.**

**Wanna Make a Bet?**

**Chapter Five – An Invitation and **

**Lily's P.O.V.**

"Okay, deep breath. Deep breath," I say to myself. "Calm down." I don't even really know why I'm so freaked out by this revelation, that James Potter is really in love with. That shouldn't scare me so much. But why does it?

I decide that it's not a good idea to go back to the common room right now, so I finish patrolling the corridors. I know that James can come find me if he really wants to. He has this magical ability to find me no matter where I am. It's a little scary, to be honest. But I've noticed that Sirius, Remus, and Peter have the same ability. Once I finish patrolling, I've calmed down enough to back the common room.

It's mostly empty, and none of my friends are downstairs. I climb up to our dormitory and find Tiffany and Kaitlyn asleep, Andriana reading a book by wand light. She looks up when I come in and flashes her always sweet smile. "How was patrolling?" she asks quietly, setting her book down.

"Fine," I reply lightly, hoping she won't suspect anything. She doesn't seem to. I change into pajamas and crawl into bed, and she releases the light from her wand. In the dark room, I feel more comfortable some how. I fall asleep easily.

…

Early in the morning, I'm awake, feeling a little haunted by the image I had seen in the mirror the night before. I lay in bed for a while, staring at the the drapes that surround my bed. After a while, the deep red color is burned into my eyes, and I have to blink several times before I can see clearly again. I pull the drapes back and change into my school uniform. When I'm dressed and ready, I sit down on my bed to finish up the Charms homework we'd been given.

Halfway through the work, Andriana sits up in bed and rubs her eyes. She glances over in my direction, then does a double take. "Lily? What are you doing? It's like six AM."

"6:38," I reply, "And I'm finishing Charms homework."

"Why are you up so early is what I meant," Andriana says.

I shrug, and turn back to the homework. "I couldn't sleep."

"You couldn't sleep?" She doesn't sound convinced in the least. "You didn't come to bed until almost eleven last night."

"I just didn't need a lot of sleep," I say, shrugging.

She doesn't believe me, not one little bit, I can tell. But how am I suppose to tell her that I can't sleep because I'm freaked out by a mirror? That would be a fun conversation, right? I mean, "Hey, I have newfound insomnia because I saw this crazy mirror that showed you your heart's desire and mine is for my sister to accept me," is a perfectly normal thing to say. Everyone knows how to respond to it, right? But I keep my mouth shut, and she lets it go. She makes her bed carefully, then changes into her own uniform. By then it's almost seven, so we set to the task of waking Kaitlyn and Tiffany up.

Tiffany, though always the grumpy one, rolls out of bed a few minutes after I shake her awake. Andriana is struggling with Kaitlyn, so I go over and help her out. Finally, she sits up and pushes the covers back. She dresses slowly, and we all put our robes on before going down to the common room. Since classes start at 8, most of Gryffindor is already down at breakfast. We head down together, and I'm relieved to see that we've beaten James and the other Marauders to the breakfast table.

I eat a relatively small breakfast of toast, hot cereal, and pumpkin juice. I usually eat more, but have lost my appetite. When breakfast is finished, we have a free period. I don't feel like being around anyone at the moment, so I give my friends the slip and go to the library. After having been to the library so many times after the years, the librarian has _finally_ stopped glaring at me. I've graduated to a stern look, instead. I grab a book off the shelves and sit down to read.

I've been reading for maybe fifteen minutes when there's a persistent _tap-tap_ing on one of the windows. I get up and see an owl fluttering outside. I open the window, and it soars in. Unsure if it's for me or someone else, I watch it. It hops around and sticks it's leg out in my direction. I untie the letter, and it leaves again. I'm always wary about owls and whether the letter they have is for me. I guess if I had my own owl, it wouldn't be a problem. But I've never really been interested in one.

I open the letter and find that it's from my mom. Which is odd, because she usually waits a few weeks into the semester to send me a letter. Especially now that I'm older and don't get as homesick as I used to.

_Lily,_

_I'm just writing to tell you that Vernon proposed to Petunia. They've decided to get married in early December –_ Here, I can almost hear my mother's disapproving tone. She thinks all engagements should be at least six months old before the couple gets married – _and I wanted to let you know so you could talk to Professor Dumbledore about possibly getting a day or two off from school to be there. I know Petunia would want you there, and I know you want to be there. Dad would like you to be there, too, so we can have a family photo. So make sure you talk to Professor Dumbledore, please. I'll send another letter with the final date. _

_How is school going? Do you like your classes? How are your friends? Tell me all about it!_

_I love you and we all miss you a lot,_

_Mum_

I snort when I finish reading the letter. Petunia wants me at her wedding? Hah. I know she's hoping that I'll stay here and Hogwarts, and to be quite honest, so am I. I miss the old Petunia. This new version of Petunia is cruel and I wouldn't go to her wedding if she paid me five hundred Galleons. And I could do a lot with five hundred Galleons. I know, without a doubt, that I'm not going to bother talking to Dumbledore about it. I'll just write her back and tell her he said no. She won't question it. She's only met the man once, after all, and hardly knows a thing about him. She has no idea that he would let me go if I asked.

I fold the letter smaller and smaller and stick it in the pocket of my robes, to be forgotten. I go back to reading until the bell rings, and then hurry back to my dormitory to get my bag and books for History of Magic. Only Andriana has this class with me, Kaitlyn and Tiffany dropped it as soon as they could. Though a curious person, she knows when to leave people alone. So she doesn't ask about the sour look on my face when we meet up for class.

After class, though, she can see that I'm still in a bad mood. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asks.

"Not right now," I say. "Maybe later, when I'm not so annoyed."

"Is it James?" she asks.

"For once, not really. Sort of. But- Let's just talk about this later, okay?"

"Alright," she agrees.

We meet Kaitlyn and Tiffany for our free period. Adriana and I work on our History of Magic homework, while Kaitlyn and Tiffany do Care of Magical Creatures. Tiffany really doesn't like that class, but Kaitlyn talked her into taking it. We work silently for a while, but I can't really concentrate on my work. I keep thinking about the letter my mum sent me, and how annoyed I am that she actually thinks I'll believe the lies she packed in there.

The more I think about it, the angrier I get. "I need to take a walk or something," I announce, getting up. My friends look at me, then exchange worried looks. "I'll be back soon." They don't say anything as I walk out of the common room and head down to the school grounds. I need some air, but I don't expect to run head first into James Potter as I exit the castle through the big double doors. "Ouch!" I cry, grabbing my head. It's throbbing in the place I knocked it. James is rubbing his forehead.

"Sorry, Lily," he apologizes. "Are you alright? Is your head okay? Should I take you to the nurse?"

"I'm fine," I say, my hand still covering the spot that hit James' head.

"Are you sure?" he asks, hovering. I know he means well, but it just annoys me.

"Fine!" I snap. "I. Am. Fine."

"Alright, sorry," he says, backing off.

I push past him, jump down the steps, and stride down towards the lake. It's where I've always gone to think. It's pretty, and one of the safest places I can sit. The Forbidden Forest is filled with all sorts of creepy crawlies that could bite an arm off. I shudder just thinking about it. I sit down on the grass, and am suddenly aware of another presence.

"I know you probably just want me to go away-" he starts.

"Yes, I'd like that," I interrupt.

"But something is bothering you. You need to talk to someone. It'll make you feel better."

"And you think I should talk to you? You, of all people?" I demand.

"Sometimes it's easier to talk to a stranger," he replies with a noncommittal shrug.

"You're not a stranger," I snort.

"I'm a stranger enough," James says. "You've never really talked to me. You don't know anything about me, and I don't know a whole lot about you, either. For example, I know that your favorite color is green, but I don't know why you refuse to buy yourself an owl."

"How do you know I don't want an owl?"

"Because I hear you complaining about them all the time."

"I do not complain."

"Yes you do," he says with a smile.

"New subject. How do you know my favorite color is green?" I ask.

"Because it's all you wear," is his answer.

Right. That should have been obvious. Most of the shirts I own are some shade of green or another. I don't say anything back to him, and after a minute he begins prodding me again. "So what's wrong?"

I let out a long, dramatic sigh. A much bigger one than the situation really deserves, but I'm feeling dramatic. "My sister."

"That's it? 'My sister'? That's all I get?"

"She's getting married. To a walrus."

"Is that even legal?" James asks quizzically.

I laugh. "He's not literally a walrus. He's just extremely fat. And annoying."

"Well, why does that upset you? Why are you so annoyed that they're getting married?"

"It's mostly the letter my mum sent," I say, reaching into my pocket and pulling out the tiny square of paper. I hand it to him without thinking so he can read it. After he's started to open it I get a sudden jolt and remember who it is I'm talking with. However, it's too late to take the letter back.

"I don't see what the problem is," he says after a minute, handing the letter back. "Your sister wants you at her wedding?"

"She doesn't want me there," I say, almost bitterly. "She hates me, and Mum knows it. I'm not going. The only thing that would make Petunia happier is if I died or something."

"I'm sure your sister would never wish you dead," James said gently, "No matter how badly you two get along."

"You've never met my sister," I answer.

"You want to go," he replies. "I can tell."

"You're crazy," I say shortly.

James glances at his watch. "Maybe I am. But I have to go. Remus was suppose to help me with my Charms homework, and he's going to be furious that I kept him waiting." He stands up and brushes the grass from his uniform pants. "I hope you work out whatever internal conflict you've got going."

I'm left staring after him, a little dumbfounded by his words. Why does James Potter always leave me speechless?

**James' P.O.V.**

I leave Lily by the lake and hurry up to the library where Remus is waiting for me, as angry and I had predicted. "Hey, sorry I'm late," I say, sliding into a chair, giving him a grin. It doesn't work.

"James, I've been waiting here for fifteen minutes. If you wanted me to help with your Charms homework, you should have been here earlier," he says, annoyed.

"Sorry," I say. "I got caught up in talking to Lily."

"You were talking to Lily?" he asks disbelievingly.

"Yes," I retort. "She was telling me all about her problems."

"You're exaggerating," Remus says, almost scolding. He's always been the most grown up of the four of us.

"Alright," I admit. "I convinced her to tell me what was bothering her."

"And that would be?"

"See, her sister's getting married, and she got this letter from her mom as a kind of invitation, but she doesn't want to go because she thinks her sister hates her. And she hates her sister's boyfriend."

"That's what was bothering her in History of Magic?" Remus asks.

"Yes," I say. "She seems to be having a fight with herself. I think, deep down, she wants to go and see her sister. But she's convinced her sister would be happiest if she died."

"What kind of sister would want her sibling dead?"

"I don't know," I say with a shrug. "But I don't think Lily's sister is one of those people. Lily's just making a big deal out of it."

"You don't know the whole story," Remus points out.

"I guess you're right. But I still think she's overreacting."

Remus just shakes his head. "Come on, we've got Charms homework to do."

…

An hour later, we are sitting down in Defense Against the Dark Arts. My Charms homework is finished, and I just need to do our Transfiguration homework before dinner. Sirius and I are joking around when Lily comes in with Tiffany, Kaitlyn, and Andriana. She looks happier than she was earlier, which makes me feel like I did something to help. She glances my way and we make eye contact for a moment, before she sits down and turns to say something to Kaitlyn.

"Prongs. OI! Prongsie!" Sirius says, waving a hand in my face.

"What?" I ask, snapping back to attention.

"What is with you?"

"I don't really know," I say honestly. What is going on with me and Lily? I get the feeling that I'm never going to really understand. "I'm pretty sure she still hates me."

"Looks like it's dropped to a strong dislike," Sirius says, craning his neck to look at Lily.

"Would you sit down?" I ask, pulling him back into his seat.

"Why, am I embarrassing you?" He gives a wolfish grin.

"No, but you're going to get in trouble."

"He most certainly will," a stern voice says behind us. "Take your seat please, Mr. Black. We're about to start class, if that's alright with you."

"Fine with me," Sirius says, sliding into his seat. His face is a little on the pale side.

"Class!" Professor Moten says, clapping her hands. "This year we'll be learning about more advanced magic, and this lesson will start us off on some dangerous magical objects, and how best to protect yourselves from them."

Professor Moten is able to captivate the class with her intense teaching. Even I get interested in the lesson, and I'm certainly not a school person. The lesson flies by, and suddenly we're packing up and looking forward to another free period. Contrary to my earlier plans, I don't feel like doing homework anymore. So I decide to blow off my Transfiguration homework until after dinner. It's not like it's going to kill me.

Instead of heading to the common room with Remus, Sirius, and Peter, I turn in another direction. "Where are you going?" Sirius asks.

"Dunno," I shrug. "I'll see you at dinner."

I see Sirius roll his eyes and Remus shrug, but they let me be. I feel a tug from the lake, so I decide to go back out there. When I get there, I feel a pang of disappointment and realize that I was hoping Lily would be there. She's not. I drop my bag in the grass and sit down. The sun has lowered, but is still bright and shining. The lake glistens like diamonds where the rays touch it. I can imagine a couple here, just enjoying each others company. I've seen it on several occasions. I want it.

Most guys only want sex, it's true. But I've been forced to grow up over the summer, and I've realized that that's not all relationships are about. Watching my parents go through what they did, and I found out how precious true love really is. I know what I want for myself, and I know for sure that I want it with Lily. My only problem is actually _starting_ our relationship. And now I realize how sappy I sound. I shake my head in disgust.

"Talking to yourself?" my favorite voice asks.

"Lily!" I say, turning around. She's standing there, bathed in sunlight, smiling at me.

"Who's fighting with themselves now?" she teases.

"Still you," I answer, and I'm surprised when she sits down in the grass next to me. She smooths out her skirt and looks out at the lake.

"Pretty," she murmurs, "But so cliché."

"So you're fighting with yourself, _and_ talking to yourself. I think you might be a little crazy, Lily."

"Maybe a little," she agrees. "Especially after what I'm about to say."

I wait, curious. She takes a breath. "I was thinking about our talk earlier, and I realized how much better you made me feel. And for once you weren't obnoxious or annoying. And so I was thinking that maybe... Maybe we could try being friends."

"Friends?" I ask. "You want to be friends with _me_?" I can't believe my luck. It's almost as if I hit the jackpot and won a million Galleons. Except this is better.

"Yeah, I think I'd like to be friends with you," she says. "Or, try being your friend."

"Lily Evans, you've got yourself a deal. Let's be friends."

**A/N: Alright, sorry James' part is so short. I wanted to end it finally and get it up, since it's been about a month since I updated. Let me know what you think! The next chapter is going to be third person, and is going to be a sort of collection of drabbles to show their friendship growing. The drabbles will probably be a bit longer than normal drabbles. Anywho, please leave me a review! Thanks! (:**

**Love,**

**This Author Person-Face**


	6. The Flourish of Friendship

**A/N: Thanks for the, ahem, reviews. I got like three. XD And one of them was from a friend because I kept complaining about how no one was reviewing. Honestly, when no one is reviewing, I feel like no one is reading, and therefore I am wasting my time by writing this. So drop me a review and let me know that you're reading this, mmkay? Thanks. :D**

**As I stated before, this chapter is going to be a bunch of drabbles, and will be third person. To show their friendship growing.**

**Wanna Make a Bet?**

**Chapter Six – The Flourish of Friendship**

The Marauders looked up in surprise as Lily Evans seated herself beside them at the Gryffindor table. Remus and Sirius exchanged looks, then stared at James. He looked just as surprised. "Morning, Lily," he said.

"Good morning, James. Sirius, Remus," she nodded, a little formally.

"What brings you to our neck of the woods?" Sirius asked.

Lily shrugged. "I just felt like sitting here. Is that a problem?"

"No," James said quickly. "Not a problem at all."

"Good." She smiled. "Can you pass me the eggs, please?"

. . . .

"Lily, I'd like you to work with James," their Charms professor told her after explaining the class project. "He needs a bit of help."

"Alright," Lily said. She turned to look at James, who was just behind her. "You better stop slacking, or you're going to be failing this project."

"Aww, Evans, can't you just go easy on me for once?" James complained.

"I don't go easy on anyone, when it comes to projects. Not even friends."

"Being friends with you isn't all it's cracked up to be," James grumbled to himself.

"Neither are you," Lily said, eyebrows drawn into a v-shape. "Now let's get started."

. . .

Lily crept carefully down the dormitory stairs, into the common room. It was almost three o'clock in the morning. She'd awakened suddenly and had been unable to go back to sleep. So she grabbed a book and went downstairs.

She was surprised to find James stretched out on the couch, staring into the fire, several green apples resting on his chest. He glanced over at her when she came down the stairs. "Hey," he said, seemingly unsurprised to see her.

"Hey," Lily answered. "What are you doing down here?"

"Couldn't sleep," James replied. He picked up an apple. "Want one?"

"Sure," Lily said, catching the fruit he tossed her. She slid down to the floor, her back against James' couch. They stared silently into the fire together, the only sound made was that of crunching apples.

. . .

Lily was sitting down by the lake again, thoughts reeling about her sister's upcoming wedding. Maybe James was right. Maybe she did want to go. But she wanted to see her old sister, not this current one. If she wanted to be honest with herself, her big sister was gone. Dead for seven years. This new girl was a stranger, someone Lily didn't know. She sighed loudly.

"I can leave if you want."

Lily turned to see James standing behind her, hands in the air.

"I didn't even know you were here," Lily said, giving him a small smile. "I don't care. Stay if you want."

"Still thinking about your sister?" he asked, sitting down beside her.

"How did you know?"

"You get this look on your face," he explained. "Kind of sad and distant."

Before Lily had a chance to answer, James leaned over and gave her a hug. After a moment of astonishment, she returned his hug. When he pulled away, he grinned. "You hugged me."

"No one will believe you."

"I know."

. . .

They were sitting by the lake again, searching for pictures in the clouds as the sun began to set. The air was still warm, and the grass felt nice. "I don't know how you talked me into this," Lily said.

"Neither do I," James answered. "Look, there's a piglet."

"Cute," Lily said. She was still looking when James got up. "What are you doing?" she asked, looking at him curiously. The grin on his face made her scramble to feet. "I don't know what you're planning, but-"

She was cut off as he grabbed her around the waist and began carrying her down to the lake. She kicked her legs and waved her arms, trying to get away. "Put me down!" she yelled. James went down the bridge that stretched into the lake. At the edge, he halted.

"James Potter, I swear-"

She never finished her sentence. She hit the cold water, and came up spluttering. "James!" she yelled angrily. She swam back to the bridge and hauled herself out, soaking. She marched over to James, who was laughing. "That wasn't funny."

"Sure it was," he said.

"Let's see how funny you find it now," she said, shoving him as hard as she could. He lost his balance and tumbled backwards into the water. She smiled when he resurfaced. "How do you like it now?"

"It's still funny," he said, swimming back over. He climbed out, and Lily ran back to the lawn, worried he might try to throw her in again. He followed her slowly, pulling his wet t-shirt over his head and wringing it out in the water. Lily's stomach did a flip seeing James' bare chest. _No. I am not attracted to James Potter_, she told herself firmly. If she said it enough, it might work.

. . .

"So, I hear you're going on a date with Felicia Johnson," Lily said teasingly.

"Nah," James said, taking a drink of pumpkin juice.

"Why not?" Lily asked, confused. Felicia was one of the prettiest girls in the sixth year. "If you don't want to go on a date with her, why'd you ask her?"

"I didn't ask her. She asked me, and I turned her down." He shrugged. "I really haven't felt like going on a date with anyone lately. I prefer being around you." James smiled at her.

Before, comments like this had always made Lily uncomfortable. But this time, she didn't squirm in her seat. In fact, she felt a little flattered. "Thanks," she said. Her face felt hot, and she knew she was blushing. "I'll see you in class," she added quickly, getting up. The smirk he wore now told her that he'd seen her red cheeks.

. . .

"So now that we're friends," James said, relaxing on the couch in the Gryffindor common room, "Do you still think I'm a bully, arrogant, obnoxious, conceited, lazy, a toe rag, and obnoxious?"

"You said obnoxious twice," Lily said. It was late, and they were the only two still in the common room.

"Because I have plenty to spare, according to you," he said teasingly.

"I admit, you're not as bad as I thought you were," she said, "But you still ooze conceitedness."

"Conceitedness?" he asked. "Is that even a word?"

"It is now," she said, sticking her tongue out at him.

"I think you're confusing conceitedness with my confidence."

"What confidence?" Lily asked.

"That you like me."

"I'm going to bed now," Lily said, getting up and throwing a pillow at him. He caught it and grinned at her. "Good night."

"Good night, Lily."

. . .

"James and Lily sitting in a tree," Sirius sang.

"Would you shut up?" Lily asked. "We're in a library."

"K-i-s-s-i-n-g," he continued at a whisper.

"Does it look like we're kissing?" Lily demanded.

"It looks like you want to," Sirius said. His smile widened when Lily held her hand up threateningly.

"Come on, Sirius, lay off," James said, putting his quill down.

"You two are no fun," Sirius complained.

"Thanks," Lily whispered.

"No problem."

. . .

"Why can't I sleep?" Lily complained, hitting the pillow in her lap in frustration.

"Why can't _I_ sleep?" James answered. It was just past one o'clock in the morning. He and Lily had both developed insomnia. Some nights were worse than others. Lily noticed that she felt restless in her dorm. She relaxed sitting in the common room with James. She didn't know he felt the same way.

"You want to go look at the stars?" James asked.

"We'll get in trouble for being out of bed," Lily said.

"No one will see us," James replied.

"How do you know?"

James got up and climbed the stairs to his dormitory. Lily watched him leave, wondering what he was doing. He came back downstairs holding a piece of cloth folded into a small square. "I know we won't get caught, because I have this." He unfolded the cloth and wrapped it around himself. Lily gasped when all but his head disappeared.

"How did you do that?"

"It's an invisibility cloak."

"It's amazing," she said.

"Let's go." James wrapped the cloak around them, and they left.

. . .

Lying in the grass by the lake had become a sort of tradition for James and Lily. They weren't doing anything today, not swimming or looking for pictures in the clouds. They were silent, too. Lily felt content, and when their shoulders brushed, her heart beat faster. She wanted to beat herself up for admitting it, but she was falling for James. She hadn't realized how sweet and fun he could be, when he stopped pestering her to date him.

Warmth radiated from him, and Lily's fingers itched to take the hand that was just inches from her own. But something held her back. She couldn't bring herself to let James think he had won. She wasn't the type of person that was okay with losing. _I'm ridiculous_, she thought. But she just wasn't ready yet.

"We should probably go do our homework," Lily said, breaking the silence.

"Probably," James agreed.

"You're not going to, are you?"

"Probably not," he said, smiling as he sat up. "Are you leaving?"

"I think so," Lily said, getting to her feet and wiping the stray pieces of grass off her skirt. "See you at dinner."

"Lily?"

"Hmm?"

"I just wanted to tell you that you still mean a lot to me. I know we're just suppose to be friends, but nothing has changed about how I feel about you."

"Nice to know," Lily said honestly, rocking back and forth on her heels. "See you later, James."

"See you."

**A/N: I know it's beyond short, but I haven't updated in ages, and I felt that was a good place to stop. The next chapter will be longer, and will (hopefully) be posted sooner than this one. Please review!**


	7. The Halloween Dance

**A/N: Oh my gosh, you guys are AMAZING. I went from 26 reviews to 40 in one chapter. I was in shock. Literally. And they were all so nice. You are officially my favorite bunch of reviewers. xD**

**Wanna Make a Bet?**

**Chapter Seven – The Halloween Dance**

**James' POV.**

October comes, and the teachers begin giving us and more and more work. The later in the year, the more we have to learn, it seems. It's not even like it's March and our N.E. are coming up. It's just October. The great thing about all the homework is that I have an excuse to sit in the library with Lily. If you want to know the truth, half the time I'm only pretending when I say I don't understand something. I'm smarter than I look.

Like, now, for instance. Lily looks over at my Ancient Runes homework. "Need any help?" she asks.

"Nope," I reply, my quill scratching away at the page. It looks nerdy to enjoy a class, but I secretly like Ancient Runes. That and Transfiguration are my best subjects.

"Alright," Lily says, and by her tone I can tell that she doesn't believe me. Maybe she thinks I'm faking to look smart? Who knows. It's my own fault for pretending to be dumb.

Twenty minutes later, I'm finished. "Want to check it over?" I ask, wanting to prove that I got everything right.

"Sure," she says, taking the paper from me. She scans it for a few minutes, her emerald eyes bouncing back and forth like the ball in the muggle game, Pong. "It's all right," she says, her voice full of wonder.

"I'm not stupid, you know," I say, a little irritated.

"I know," she says quickly. "It's just that... These are N.E.W.T. Ancient Runes, one of _the_ hardest classes. And you didn't make a single mistake. Wait... You didn't cheat did you?"

"No," I laugh, my annoyance vanishing. I can't stay mad at Lily. "I didn't cheat. I really like Ancient Runes," I add in a low voice.

"James Potter likes school?"

"Shhh!" I hiss. "You might ruin my reputation."

It's Lily's turn to laugh. "What shame that would be."

"It would be!" I insist, still looking around the library cautiously.

"Would it ruin your reputation for people to know that you're smart?" she asks me.

Busted. "Yes."

"I see." The bell rings then, and we pack up our stuff to go to dinner. We stop at the Gryffindor tower to leave our bags, since we won't need them, because classes are over for the day. We go up to our separate dormitories, and I drop mine on the bed before returning to the common room to wait for Lily. A few minutes later, she's back. Her hair has been brushed out and pulled back in a ponytail, and she smells sweet, like flowers.

She catches me staring at her. "What?" she asks, glancing over her shoulder to see if there's something behind her.

"Nothing," I say quickly. "Let's go get food."

She gives me a look that tells me she knows I'm trying to avoid her question, but she doesn't pester me further. Now isn't the right time to confess my undying love for her, yet again. The last time she didn't seem to mind, but I don't want to push it. We walk down to the Great Hall together in silence. It's not an awkward silence, but not quite a comfortable silence, either. I'm actually kind of glad when we take our seats at the Gryffindor table, because it's easier to jump into our friends' conversations than it is to start our own.

Lily's friends, Andriana, Kaitlyn, and Tiffany, have taken to sitting with me, Remus, Sirius, and Peter. Sirius loves it, and Remus always seems kind of nervous. Peter, on the other hand, looks like he's going to wet himself every time he so much as glances at them. _He'll get used to them_, I think.

"What are you talking about?" Lily asks, smoothing her skirt as she sits down. She reaches over for her goblet of pumpkin juice, but her fingers never reach it. She pulls her hand back quickly when Professor Dumbledore gets to his feet and clears his throat. Everyone looks at him curiously, because he usually only makes announcements during dinner at the beginning and end of the year, or if something serious has happened.

"As you all know," Dumbledore begins, "Halloween is fast approaching. The staff and I have discussed it at length, and we have decided to throw not only a Christmas ball, but a Halloween ball as well. We feel that it will be an educational experience, whether you know it or not, and a chance to have some fun."

The hall erupts in cheers. We've never had a Halloween dance before. I can feel the excitement bubbling in the air as students begin to plan what they're going to wear. The third year girls on my left already have about a million costume ideas, whereas I don't even have one. I haven't dressed up for Halloween since I was seven. How am I going to come up with a good costume idea?

"What are we suppose to wear?" Sirius asks.

"Costumes," Kaitlyn says, like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"Thanks," he answers sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "What are we suppose to go as?"

"The Three Musketeers!" Andriana says, speaking up for the first time all night. We all stare at her, and she blushes. "It's a muggle book. They're sword-fighting heros, and-"

"But there's four of us and three of them," Remus points out. I may be imagining things, but Andriana looks disappointed when Remus shoots her down.

"You guys can be the Three Whatevers, and I'll dress up as something else," I suggest.

"Musketeers," Andriana corrects me.

"Right."

"And what are you going to go as?" Lily asks me.

I shrug. "No idea. But I'll come up with something."

Lily turns to Andriana. "When did you even read The Three Musketeers?"

Andriana shrugs. "I have free time."

The conversation stops for the most part after that, because we're busy eating. Lily and the other girls discuss what they could wear. I'm still trying to come up with something myself, but I have trouble, because I'm more interested in trying to figure out how to get Lily to go to the dance with me. I know it's probably a hopeless fantasy, but a boy can dream, can't he?

"James?" Lily asks, breaking me out of my reverie.

"Huh?"

"I said, are you going to help me patrol tonight?"

"Oh, yeah," I say. "No problem."

We finish eating, and walk with the others back to the Gryffindor tower. Instead of climbing through the portrait hole with the rest of them, though, Lily and I stay out in the hallway. In about twenty minutes, everyone should be in their common rooms. No one is suppose to be wandering around after eight thirty. Lily walks over to the nearest window and looks out at the sky, which is getting darker by the second. It's dotted with tiny, twinkling stars.

"It's your sister, isn't it?" I ask, noting her sad facial expression as I join her by the ledge.

Lily shrugs. Maybe she doesn't want to talk about. I don't ask anymore questions, but after a few minutes of silence, she says, "It's just... Sometimes I can't help but think that I destroyed our relationship."

"Why?" I'm startled. What could Lily have done to make her sister hate her?

"Everything fell apart when I got my letter for Hogwarts," she whispers, eyes glistening. She's trying desperately to keep her tears back. "She's hated me ever since she found out I was a witch."

"That's not your fault," I say firmly. "You didn't decide to be born magic." I don't see why anyone _wouldn't_ want to be magic, but I don't say that.

"I know," Lily says, voice cracking, "But-"

"No buts," I say. "Your sister is just jealous of your talent. You have no idea how amazing you are. Talented, pretty, smart, and so nice to everyone. Look, you even gave me a chance. And you always said you hated me," I tease.

She smiles a little and sniffs. "Thanks, James," she whispers. I give her a quick hug, and then turn around to give her a few moments of privacy.

"Ready to patrol?" she asks, her voice sounding more normal, after about three minutes.

"Ready," I affirm.

. . .

Tonight is the full moon, and when I finish patrolling with Lily, I go upstairs to get Sirius and Peter. We crowd under the invisibility cloak and go out to the grounds to transform. When we meet up with Remus, I stare at him for a while, and an idea hits me. I'll talk to him about it later.

. . .

The next morning, as we're getting ready to go down to breakfast, I stop Remus. "Hey, I was wondering something."

"What?" he asks, looking at me a little suspiciously.

"So for this Halloween dance thing, I was thinking about going as some sort of beast or monster. I got the idea last night when you... You know," I admit. "But I wanted to ask you first so I didn't-"

"You won't offend me, James," Remus said with a sort of sad smile. "It's fine with me."

"Cool, thanks," I say. We go downstairs to the common room, where Lily is no where to be found. She probably got tired of waiting for us and is already at the Great Hall. When we get downstairs, Peter trailing after us slowly, the girls are already at the table and eating. I slid onto the bench beside Lily, who smiles at me. Can I help it if my stomach twists nervously? Here she is, the girl of my dreams, smiling at me.

After breakfast, we're on the way to Potions, and Lily and I are at the back of the group. Sirius has gone off in the other direction, to Divination, so at least he doesn't see for himself. We're chatting about nothing, really, and I'm staring at her bright eyes, and I can't help it. "Do you want to go to that dance with me?" I blurt.

. . .

**Lily's POV.**

I glance around quickly, but none of our friends seem to have heard. _Say yes!_ I command myself. Instead, I say, "I don't know, James... We're just suppose to be friends."

"We can go as friends," he says quickly, and I feel a little sorry for him. I know what it feels like to be rejected. I'm still not sure exactly what I should say, and he says, "Sorry. Just forget I said anything."

"No – I'd love to go. As friends," I tell him.

He brightens. "Really?"

"Yeah," I say, nodding. And I do want to go with him. A small part of me doesn't, though. I'm having mixed feelings on the subject, something I can't control. I've hated James for so long, and lately I've been considering what it would be like to date him. It's no wonder I'm feeling so confused. He's basically turned my entire world upside down recently. And then there's the thing with Petunia... I shake my head as we enter the Potions classroom. I promised myself I wouldn't think about her anymore.

"What was that about?" Andriana asks as we take our seats. I'm finally sitting with her, Kaitlyn, and Tiffany again, instead of with James and Remus.

"Nothing," I say.

They all stare at me, until I crack. "Alright, gosh. He asked me to go to the Halloween dance with him." They start to look excited, so I make sure to add, "As a friend."

"Just a friend?" Kaitlyn asks, looking disappointed.

"Just a friend," I repeat firmly.

"Well that's no fun," Tiffany says. "We were hoping you two would be dating already."

"I'm not dating James Potter. Just because we're friends now doesn't mean I've suddenly developed feelings for him," I lie. I must be convincing, because none of them accuse me.

The day passes quickly, and so does the next day, and the next day, until suddenly it's a week from the ball. As the girls and I are getting ready for bed, Tiffany calls to me, "So have you come up with something to go as yet?"

I shake my head. "Not yet." The three of them already had their costumes planned – I had refused to dress like them because I didn't like the idea of smearing white paint all over my face. "I need suggestions." I sit down on my bed and begin picking at a loose thread on the blanket.

"A fairy?" Andriana says.

I make a face.

"A muffin."

"Are you joking?" I ask, looking over at Kaitlyn.

"You're rejecting every other idea. I'm just trying to be original," she says, sticking her tongue out.

"When we went to that costume shop in Hogsmeade, there was that really pretty ball gown," Andriana says. "You could just wear that and say you're a princess or something."

I think about it. Andriana's right, the dress is beautiful. It's something I would love an excuse to wear. "What about a tiara?" I ask.

"We could make you one," she promises. "You'll look so pretty. And we can do your makeup-"

"I don't want a white face," I say.

"We won't paint your face white. So will you get the dress?"

"Sure."

The earliest we can go, Saturday, is Halloween, the day of the party. The four of us get permission to return to Hogsmeade (the shopping trip for costumes was the weekend before) and head over to the costume shop. The owner, a woman by the name of Mary, greets us warmly. "I want to buy that dress," I say, pointing to the ball gown.

"For the costume party?" Mary asks.

I nod. "She's going to be a princess," Tiffany says for me.

"It'll look great on you," Mary assures me as she rings the dress up. I hand over my money, and she folds it neatly into a box for me. We leave the store, and as we pass The Three Broomsticks, Kaitlyn says, "Want to get a butterbeer?"

"We don't have time," Andriana says impatiently. "We need to get ready for the dance."

"It doesn't even start until seven!" Kaitlyn complains.

"And we all need to smear white makeup all over our faces," Andriana reminds her.

"Fine," Kaitlyn grumbles, trailing away from The Three Broomsticks with a sad look on her face. As we head up the path that leads to the castle, Tiffany says, "We're going to make you look _amazing_."

"Why?" I ask with a laugh.

"Because you're going to the dance with _James_," she reminds me, an obvious "duh" in her voice.

"As a friend," I answer. "It's not like I need to impress him or anything."

"Well, what if you meet some awesome guy at the dance? I mean, I know there's not a lot of students, but I'm sure there's some Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs that you don't know. You want to look your best if you meet some handsome guy," Andriana points out.

"Alright," I agree finally. "But you guys have to finish your own makeup first. Yours is much more important to your costumes."

"Deal," Kaitlyn says. There's a gleam in her eyes, and I can tell she's already planning what to do with me. For best friends, they seem to enjoy tormenting me an awful lot.

. . .

We're finally ready to go just after seven. Tiffany, Kaitlyn, and Andriana have completely white faces, and black wigs done up in ridiculous styles, with various objects poking out or hanging down. Each of their kimonos was a different color. Kaitlyn's was blue, Tiffany's was yellow, and Andriana's was red. The red lipstick they wore stood out against their white faces. They looked kind of like ghosts, aside from the crazy hairdos.

I take another look at myself in the mirror. The dress looks amazing on me, I have to admit. The emerald green skirt is just the right amount of poofy, and the bodice, a lighter shade of green, is covered in decorative strings of beads. I can't explain how much I love it. Andriana did my makeup really well, too. There's not too much. Just some mascara, golden-brown eyeshadow, and lip gloss. She curled my hair and pulled it back in a ponytail. My "tiara" is made out of wire she found lying around.

"You look great," Tiffany says with a smile.

"Thanks," I say. "So do you three."

We go down to the common room, but most students are already down in the Great Hall, where the dance is being held. The boys told us they weren't going to wait for us, because, in their words, "Who knows how long you're going to take? Girls spend years putting their faces on." It was Sirius, of course.

We're coming down the grand staircase that leads into the hallway, where the doors to the Great Hall are located, and I spot James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter standing in a group outside the door. A number of other students are standing in the hall as well. Waiting for friends or trying to get away from the noise of the party, I'm not sure. I point them out to the others, and we go over to join them.

"What are you suppose to be?" Sirius asks Tiffany, Kaitlyn, and Andriana when they notice us.

"We're Geishas," Tiffany says with a glare.

"What the bloody hell is a Geisha?"

"It's a traditional Japanese entertainer," Andriana explains.

"Entertainer?" Sirius asks with a grin, eyebrows raised.

"Not that kind of entertainer, you idiot," Tiffany says, smacking him on the arm.

"Ow," he complains, rubbing his arm. He, Remus, and even Peter, look good in the Musketeer costumes, with the giant hats with giant feathers, and fake swords at their waists. James, on the other hand, looks kind of frightening. He's dressed up as some sort of beast. He doesn't look horrible, though.

"You look nice," he tells me. That's all. Just nice. Not beautiful, wonderful, or even pretty. Just nice. Then I think, _What's wrong with me? I don't care what James Potter thinks of me._

But I do.

"Thanks. You look...," I trail off.

"Scary?"

"Sure," I say with a laugh.

"Aww, look!" Andriana says suddenly. "It's like Beauty and the Beast."

"What?" Sirius asks.

"It's a muggle cartoon," Remus says. "About a prince who was turned into an ugly beast by a witch, and the only way to break the spell was for a beautiful girl to fall in love with him."

"You know?" Andriana looks bewildered.

Remus shrugs. "It's a popular story. I've actually never seen the movie, but I did read the book."

Andriana looks awestruck.

"Let's go inside," Tiffany suggests, bouncing on her heels.

We head in and find the Great Hall decorated with lots of black and orange, pumpkins, bats, and everything you could possibly think of that went with Halloween. There's music playing from an unknown source, and my friends hurry over to the dance floor, eager to join in. I'm not much of a dancer, though, so I stay with the boys. We sit down at a table. "Don't you want to hang out with your friends?" Peter questions.

I shake my head. "I'm not much of a dancer."

We talk for a while, and soon Sirius, Remus, and Peter get up and leave. I wonder if this was planned, but I don't dwell on it too much. I'm having fun talking to James. "So you named him Porky?" I laugh.

"I was four!" he says defensively. "And it was a pig. What else was I suppose to name it?"

I'm laughing too much to answer. Just then, a slow song comes on, and my laughter fades. "Do you want to dance?" James asks, the question I had been dreading all night.

"Sorry," I say. "I just don't like dancing."

"That's alright," he says, smiling. "So what-"

"Sorry," someone says. We look over and to see a girl, a fifth year by the looks of her, standing beside our table. She's got wispy blond hair and dark brown eyes. My immediate thought is of how pretty she is, in a plain way. She's got a heart-shaped face, and a small nose sprinkled with freckles. She's not beautiful the way movie stars or supermodels are. She's pretty in a homey way. She twists her hands nervously. "I was just wondering, if maybe you would possibly want to dance?"

James glances at me, and turns back to the girl. I can see him mouth forming the words to tell her he's not interested, but I stop him. "He'd love to," I tell her, smiling. She's small for her age, and she looks so nervous that I can't let James hurt her feelings.

"Right," Jame says, sounding confused. He shoots me a look, and I give him one back and nod at the girl. _Dance with her_, I tell him mentally. He gets to his feet and gives me one last look before he takes the girl's arm. She looks like she might die of happiness. "What's your name?" he asks as they walk away.

"Sydney," is the faint reply.

I wait. Ten minutes, fifteen, twenty. He doesn't return to the table, and I wonder what happened. If he was Sirius, I'd have assumed they ran off to make out. But I thought James had changed this year. That wasn't like him. I stare at the table top and sigh.

"What's wrong?"

I look up to see my friends have joined me. It's Tiffany who spoke. "And where's James?" she adds.

"Some girl came and asked him to dance, and I haven't seen him since," I say.

"That's kind of rude," Kaitlyn says. "He asked _you_ here."

I shrug. "I told him to dance with her. She was so sweet looking, I couldn't let him tell her no. I just didn't think he'd ditch me like this."

"He'll come back," Andriana promises.

But he doesn't. Not until almost midnight. I've already left, because everyone wants to dance but me, and I no longer have anyone to talk with while everyone else is dancing. I'm still awake when they come into the dormitory. Andriana tells me he just asked for me.

"Jerk," Tiffany growls. "He ditched you for hours."

"Oh well." I don't care. At least that's the act I'm putting on. I do care. I roll over on my bed and hug my pillow to my chest. My chest hurts.

**A/N: Phew. Finished at last. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I liked writing it. :D So please leave me a review! I'd really appreciate it.**


	8. Insomnia Makes Everything Better

**A/N: Sorry it's been so long since I've updated. I've been super busy with school, and I kind of lost any and all inspiration I've ever had. Dx**

**Wanna Make a Bet?**

**Chapter Eight – Insomnia Makes Everything Better**

**Lily's POV.**

I'm the last one to wake up in the morning, and I still feel exhausted. I wave Andriana away when she suggests going to breakfast, because I just want to go back to sleep. I see her exchange looks with Kaitlyn and Tiffany, but they leave without me. I roll over and go back to sleep for a few hours, getting up and dressing just in time for lunch. I drag myself into the bathroom to brush my hair and teeth, then go downstairs to find my friends.

"You look awful," Kaitlyn greets me.

"Thanks," I say dryly.

"Didn't you sleep well?" Tiffany asks, examining the dark circles under my eyes.

I shrug and don't bother answering her. I don't understand why I'm letting this get to me, but I'm still upset about James ditching me the night before. We just went as friends, and he has to obligation towards me... But we went together, right? So he shouldn't have done that. On the other hand, I'm the one that told him to dance with Sydney. So maybe it was my fault. That still doesn't excuse the fact that I'm upset. I don't care about James Potter.

"I don't," I mutter to myself.

"What?" Andriana asks, looking curious.

"Nothing," I say. "I'm going to go get lunch. Are you coming?"

The three of them get to their feet and follow me out of the common room, downstairs to the Great Hall. I keep my head down as we enter, to prevent myself from searching the Gryffindor table for him. This turns out to be pointless, though, because as I'm reaching for a sandwich, I hear him call my name. "Hey, Lily!"

I decide to ignore him, but he slides onto the bench next to me, a huge grin on his face. "What happened to you last night?"

"I got tired and went to bed," I reply in a monotone.

"You didn't even say goodnight," he points out.

"Seeing as I had no idea where you were or when you were coming back, I don't see how I could have said goodnight."

"Why didn't you wait?"

"Because I think three and a half hours is long enough," I snap, throwing my sandwich down on my plate. I've stood without realizing it, and I march out of the Great Hall, leaving James and my friends behind. No one comes after me, and I'm glad. I don't feel like getting into a fight with anyone, which was sure to happen if they continue to bother me about James. I go back to the common room, get my bag, and spend the rest of the day hiding from everyone in the library.

When I return to the Gryffindor Tower at eight o'clock, when the library closes, nobody says anything. My friends look up when I come in, and Andriana motions for me to join them, but I just climb the stairs to our dormitory. I still want to be alone. I still haven't figured out what my feelings for James are. Being as upset as I am leads me to believe that we're not just friends anymore. But I don't get weak-kneed or butterflies when I see him – So I can't like him that much, can I?

When you really like someone, they're the only other person you see. You feel like you're going to throw up, your stomach twists and flips, you get shaky when they smile at you or say hello. None of that happens to me when I see James. Half the time, I'm annoyed or angry when I see him, not pleased. So what is it about him that's made me so crazy? I wouldn't have cared if Remus had gone off with some girl for almost four hours. I wouldn't have cared if it was Sirius, or Peter, or Jeffery Anderson, a really attractive Ravenclaw. So why James?

I'm still contemplating this when my friends come up to bed. Tiffany and Kaitlyn don't say anything to me, they put their pajamas on and crawl into bed. Andriana, however, pauses at the foot of my bed and gives me a rather scrutinizing look. She looks like she wants to say something, but evidentially decides better because she follows Kaitlyn and Tiffany's example and gets into bed without a word.

The bedside candles are blown out, and I stay awake, staring at the canopy above me. I toss and turn for a while, before getting frustrated at my inability to sleep. I throw the covers back and get up, feeling a little shock when my bare feet touch the cold stone floor. I creep over to the door, pull it open slowly, and slip out. I don't want to wake my friends, because they don't know about my recent insomnia. I head downstairs, my feet slapping against the stone, and I'm only slightly surprised to see James lounging on one of the couches.

"Hey," he says quietly. "Couldn't sleep?"

I shake my head ruefully. "You either?"

"Not much lately," James answers. He moves into a sitting position and pats the cushion next to him. "We may as well keep each other company."

I hesitate for a moment, then give up and flop down onto the couch beside him. I glance at him out of the corner of my eye, then cross my arms over my chest.

"What's the matter?" he asks. "Are you still mad at me?"

I plan to lie, but it's too late. "Yes," I blurt, then clap a hand to my forehead.

"No, I'm glad you told me," James says. "I hate it when girls pretend everything is fine when it's not. Because then I don't think anything is wrong, and I don't fix it, and everything builds up until you explode. It's rather annoying, if you must know. It's why I haven't been involved with many girls this year."

"I thought it was because of me?" I say before I can stop myself, mentally flinching when I realize what I've let escape. This lack of sleep makes me do stupid things, or so I've noticed.

"Look who's being conceited now," James teases as I flush a red to rival my hair. My face feels like it's burning off. He ignores my comment after that, though, and I'm grateful. "What I meant to say was, I'm sorry I upset you. I didn't realize."

"It's alright," I say, the sullen cloud that had been hanging around me all day suddenly lifting. I mean it, too, because I don't want to be mad at James. It's so easy to let it go now that he's apologized, and seems to be sincere about it. I lean back against the arm of the couch and throw my legs across James' lap, feeling a little reckless. "Tell me a story," I demand.

"A story?" he asks, looking incredulous.

"To put me to sleep," I explain. "I can't be tired for class tomorrow. So tell me a story."

"You can't sleep like that," James objects.

"Why not?" I ask.

"No pillow."

"Where am I suppose to get a pillow?"

"I've been told I'm a pretty comfortable pillow," he says with a grin.

It's a blatant and obvious move, but I don't object. I twist myself around and rest my head against his chest. His shirt is soft and warm, and he smells pleasant. I relax and close my eyes. "Now tell my story."

"I don't really know any stories," James admits.

"So make something up," I tell him. "Just talk. It helps me sleep."

"How so?"

"My mum used to tell me stories when I was little. It's always been soothing to hear someone talk me to sleep."

"Not sing?"

"No, that makes it impossible for me to sleep."

"Why is that?" James asks curiously.

"Because then I'm more interested in the singing than going to sleep. Are you going to tell me a story or not?" I ask, beginning to sit up.

"I'll tell you your story," James sighs, and I lean my head against his chest once more. "Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess who was locked in a tower by an evil guy who wanted the princess all to himself-"

"I've heard this story."

"No you haven't, be quiet," James commands.

"Sorry," I laugh, shifting myself into a more comfortable position.

"Anyways, this princess didn't have really long hair or a wand, so she couldn't get herself out. She just had normal-length red hair, and really pretty green eyes, and a really great smile. She was locked in her tower for days and days, and she was getting really bored, because there wasn't really anything to do up there, and she didn't have anyone but the evil guy to talk to, and he wasn't really around much.

So the princess was staring at the clouds one day, wishing she could leave her tower, and suddenly, her wish came true. Out of nowhere, a really handsome bloke flew up to her tower on a broomstick and landed beside her. Now this guy was really good-looking, with a really nice head of hair – black – and very charming."

"This sounds a lot like you," I say suspiciously, knowing exactly where he's going with this.

"Nice to know you think I'm handsome," he replies. I can hear the smile in his voice as he continues. "When the princess saw him, she thought he was the most gorgeous thing she'd ever laid eyes on-"

"Now you're just being ridiculous," I say with a laugh, sitting up. "I'm sure the princess took one look at him and told him to shove off."

"Hey, this is my story. It happens the way I say it does. If you don't like it, find someone else to tell you a bedtime story," James sniffs.

"I'm sorry O Great Storyteller," I say with mock apology. "Please, continue."

"As I was saying before I was so _rudely_ interrupted," James starts, "The princess instantly fell in love with the handsome guy, and asked if he'd come to rescue her. He told her yes, and they got on his broom and flew off into the sunset."

"That is the cheesiest story I have ever heard," I inform him, bursting into laughter.

"Oh, go to sleep," James tells me, shoving me lightly.

"Fine," I say, sticking my tongue out. I get comfortable again, close my eyes, and relax.

**James' POV.**

It's dark, next thing I know. The fire is burning low among the charred logs, and something warm and sweet smelling is wrapped in my arms. I glance down to see that it's Lily, and it takes me a moment to register what's going on. Then I remember that I drifted off shortly after she had. It was lucky I was awake now, rather than in a few hours. If any of the other Gryffindors caught us like this... Lily wouldn't speak to me for months, I'm sure of that.

"Lily," I whispered, shaking her gently. "Wake up."

"Mmm," she murmurs, turning her head.

"Come on, you can't stay here forever."

"Yes I can," she mumbles. "It's warm, and I'm comfy."

"You can stay like this if you really want everyone else to see you."

"Don't care," she says, still trying to return to sleep.

"You don't care if the entire school knows that you and I fell asleep on the couch?"

"No!" she exclaims, sitting up quickly.

"I didn't think so," I said, already missing her warmth. I should have let her sleep a while longer. At least then I could pretend that we really had something going, and she didn't just fall asleep on me by accident. Lily gets up and pulls her hair back over her shoulders. "Well, I should probably go to bed. You should, too."

"Probably," I agree. "Night, Lily."

"Good night, James." She smiles at me, and my heart does a flip-flop. As she turns away and heads for the stairs, a random thought pops into my head. "Are you coming to the Quidditch game on Saturday?"

"I might," she answers, giving me another smile before disappearing upstairs. I follow suit and head up to my own dormitory. I crawl into bed and think about Lily for a long time, before I finally fall asleep.

Sirius shoves me out of bed a few hours later, and I land on the ground with a hard thud. "Ow!" I complain, rubbing my arm as I stand up. "What was that for?"

"We couldn't wake you up," Sirius answers. "Believe me, we tried."

"We thought you might have died!" Peter squeaked.

"No we didn't," Remus says patiently.

"Were you having a dream or something?"

Now that I think about it, I realize that I had been dreaming. I had dreamed the story I made up for Lily the night before, replacing the characters with Lily and myself. Although to be truthful, they had been us all along. I wonder if Lily knew? She probably did, she's the smartest girl in our year. Sirius waves a hand in front of my face, because I've drifted off again. "Sorry," I say. "Let's go get breakfast."

"James?" Remus says.

"What?"

"You're still in your pajamas."

"Right." Slightly embarrassed, I change into my uniform, and we go down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Lily's not there yet, but she and her friends come in a few minutes after we've loaded our plates. She slides into the empty seat beside me and grabs a piece of toast. "Sleep alright?" I ask innocently.

"Fine," she replies, shooting me a glare. I know she doesn't want her friends to find out about our late nights, and I don't really mind. Those times are just between the two of us, something special. But it's still fun to tease her about it. "How about you?"

"Great," I say with a grin. "I had a dream about you."

Lily flushes, which pleases me. "Shut up," she says, taking a bite of toast and readjusting herself so her back is to me. Tiffany and Kaitlyn are laughing, as amused as I am. "Hurry up and eat, we're going to be late for class."

. . .

Saturday morning is surprising clear and sunny, a good day for our first Quidditch match. I had been expecting rain, but I'm glad for the sun. I'm not nervous about our match with Ravenclaw, and neither is Sirius, but a few of the others on the team are. Ravenclaw does have a good team this year, but I know we'll have no problem. I try not to eat too much at breakfast, because I don't want to be weighed down for the game.

Lily, up early, gets up from the Gryffindor table as I sit down. "Good luck," she calls over her shoulder, hair swinging like a red curtain.

"Aren't you coming to watch?" I call back.

"Maybe," she answers before disappearing around the corner. Feeling a bit put out, I take only a few bites of eggs and a sip of pumpkin juice before getting up from the table. I leave Sirius and the rest of the team, and head out to the pitch, nearly an hour early. I wander into the changing rooms, my thoughts on Lily. The disappointment that rips through me when I think about her not showing up for the game is almost overwhelming.

For a few weeks, I've been content with the friendship Lily and I have developed, but I know that I'm not anymore. I'm in love with her, and I don't want to be friends. I want us to be so much more than that. I haven't forgotten about the bet that she and I made, but the timing just doesn't seem right. I feel like a jerk holding something like that over her head, now that she trusts me – sort of.

I can't think of any other way to convince her of my feelings, though. I'm under the impression that she doesn't believe me. She's told me before that she thinks I'm only interested in her because she's not interested in me. She actually told me that four times last year, in our sixth year.

I'm still deep in thought when Sirius and the rest of the team come into the changing room, startling me. We change, the room filling with chatter that I don't join in. Sirius, who was made Captain when I took on Head Boy duties, gives a quick speech that I pay no attention to. Before I know it, we're marching out onto the field. We line up along the far end, and wait for Ravenclaw to come out.

"Psst! James!"

I turn around to see Lily leaning over the wall in the very bottom row of seats. Her hair is falling in her face, and she pushes it away impatiently. "Good luck," she says, giving me a quick smile, which I return, my earlier worries dissipating. She straightens up and vanishes in the crowd of students, to return to her friends. I face front again, just in time to see Ravenclaw enter the field. The whistle is blown. We mount our brooms and take off.

The quaffle is thrown into the air, and I dive for it, catching it by the tips of my fingers and zooming in the direction of the Ravenclaw goal posts. I can hear the Ravenclaw chasers following, and I look around for Liam Johnson or Joshua Turner, the other Gryffindor chasers. Liam is on my left, and I throw him the quaffle. He speeds ahead and chucks the quaffle as hard as he can. It makes it through one of the Ravenclaw goal posts.

We have good luck through the rest of the game, scoring eight more goals, four of them mine. Our Seeker, Marcy Young, catches the Snitch, winning us the game 240 to 30. The Gryffindors erupt when it's over, though more than half the school seems to be disappointed by our win. When we play Slytherin, though, we'll have a lot more students on our side. We touch down to the turf and return to the changing rooms to change out of our robes and shower.

When I've toweled my hair dry, and put my jeans and sweater on, I head outside. Most of the school has returned to the castle, but there are a number of stragglers on the grounds outside of the pitch. I'm surprised and pleased to see that Lily is one of them. She approaches me when she notices that I've come out, smiling. "Good game," she says.

"Thanks," I say, wanting to say something else but not sure what.

"I don't really want to go back inside yet. Do you want to walk with me?" Lily asks, pulling a scarlet and gold scarf tighter around her neck, and stuffing her green-gloved hands deep into her pockets.

"Sure," I say, falling into step beside her as she leads the way towards the lake. "So what made you decide to come to the game?"

"I was always going to come," she says, nudging me with her elbow. "That's why I was up so early. I wanted to get some studying done so I'd have time to come."

"What are you studying for? Our exams aren't for months," I say, incredulous.

"It never hurts to be prepared," Lily says loftily. She's quiet for a moment, staring at the ground as we walk. Then she says, "I'm going to Petunia's wedding."

"Really? What made you decide that?"

Lily shrugs. "She's my sister. She's getting married. I should be there, even if she never wants to see me again. But I was thinking... Woldyoucomewithme?" she blurts.

"Sorry, one more time?" I say, not quite sure I heard her right.

"I was hoping that maybe you'd come with me to her wedding. You know, so I'm not completely alone?" she says, her voice squeaking a bit, like she's nervous.

"Why not ask one of your friends?"

"Well, most people bring dates to weddings. I don't know what everyone would think if I showed up with a girl," Lily informs me. Her hands are clasped together as she waits for my answer.

"So you're asking me out on a date?" I clarify, enjoying this immensely.

"No!" Lily exclaims. Then, "Yeah, I guess."

"Well in that case, I'd be honored to escort you to your sister's wedding."

"Thanks, James," she sighs. She looks up at the sky, which is now covered with grey clouds. "We should probably go back now."

As we're climbing the stairs in the Entrance Hall, we nearly crash into Sydney, who I know notice is in Hufflepuff. Her face lights up when she sees us. "James! You did really well today," she says, smiling shyly. I glance at Lily to see that she's looking away pointedly. That's probably not a good thing.

"Thanks, Sydney," I reply. "Sorry, but we've got to go," I say, motioning to myself and Lily. "I'll see you around."

"Oh. Alright," Sydney says, her smile faltering slightly. "See you later."

Lily and I continue up to the common room, and I notice that she's smiling widely. "What?" I ask.

"Nothing," she answers. "Only, I think..." She trails off as we reach the portrait of the Fat Lady. "Sugar Quills."

The portrait swings open to reveal a huge ruckus. The entire Gryffindor house is in the common room, shouting loudly. By the looks of things, Sirius started a party to celebrate our first win of the season. "Prongs!" he calls when he sees me. "Come have some food." He grabs me and begins to pull me through the crowd. Lily grabs my other sleeve so she won't lose me, which makes me very happy. She's spending more and more time with me in public.

It's hard for us to really hear each other, but she and I spend most of the evening together, snacking on the delicious food Sirius nicked from the kitchens, and talking about everything. As evening falls, Lily begins to yawn widely. "I'm going to go to bed," she says later, getting to her feet. "Good night." I stand up too, and we look at each other for a moment. Then she grabs my shoulder and whispers, "Meet me later." Before I have time to answer, she plants a kiss on my cheek and says, "Good job, again," in a louder voice, so everyone can hear.

As she heads up the stairs, I can see people staring at me, and whispering to one another. Not a lot of people noticed, but I can see that what just happened is spreading like wildfire. I really can't care less, though. Lily Evans just kissed me.

**A/N: I think I'm going to end it there. I hope you guys liked it! It took me all weekend to write. I'll attempt to do more, but there's no telling what kind of homework my school is going to load me with. Please leave a review! **


	9. Nightly Escapades

**A/N: I was honestly surprised by the number of reviews I got for the last chapter, considering how long it took me to update. Anyways, this is going to be a shorter chapter, because I have something special planned for the next chapter, and I'm kind of eager to get there. **

**Wanna Make a Bet?**

**Chapter Nine – Nightly Escapades**

**James' POV.**

The party continues until just after midnight, when Professor McGonagall comes in to tell us to shut up and go to bed. As I climb the stairs with Sirius, Remus, and Peter, people clap me on the back, congratulating me on the game, and the kiss from Lily. Sirius and Peter won't shut up about it; Sirius continues to taunt me, while Peter seems thoroughly impressed. In our dormitory, I crawl onto my bed and pull the hangings shut, not bothering to change into my pajamas.

I'm not tired, and I don't feel like sleeping. I'm more interested in why Lily wants to meet me tonight. I feel like things are suddenly progressing much faster, and I don't know how it happened. Now I have to walk on eggshells, to make sure I don't do anything to mess it up. I lie in bed for nearly half an hour before I'm sure that the others are asleep. I pull the curtains back slowly and tiptoe across the room, to the door.

When I get downstairs, I'm disappointed to see that the common room is completely empty, meaning that Lily is probably still sleeping. I go over to the fireplace and sit down in one of the armchairs, wondering how long I'll have to wait. I get my answer within ten minutes, when Lily comes bouncing down the stairs. She's dressed, wearing a green wool sweater, with a matching hat and gloves. "Hey," she says brightly.

"Why are you wearing a sweater?"

"Because I don't want to sit around in the common room tonight. Come on," Lily says, motioning for me to follow her. I get to my feet and trail after her, wondering where she's taking me. We leave the common room and take an immediate left. For a while, we walk in silence, climbing staircase after staircase. "Where are we going?" I ask.

"To look at stars," Lily answers. "Like we did that one night."

"It's freezing out," I remind her. We're nearing mid-November now, and the snow was sure to start falling any day.

"That makes it more fun," she smiles. I think she may be going a bit crazy, but I'm not going to complain if she wants to spend time with me. A few minutes later, we step outside, onto one of the small towers at the top of the castle. I pull my wand out and conjure two cots, pillows, several thick blankets, and a jacket for me. I put the jacket on gratefully, then stretch out on one of the cots, pulling some of the blankets over myself. Lily does the same, scooting her cot up next to mine. "See anything?"

"I think that's the big dipper... Right?" I say, pointing.

"That looks nothing like the big dipper," Lily laughs.

"It definitely does," I argue. "You're not looking close enough."

"Oh, right," Lily says sarcastically. "Next you'll be telling me that there are cats prancing through the sky."

"There could be," I grin, brandishing my wand. I never really bragged about it, but Transfiguration and Charms were always my best subjects. Instead of making cats dance through the stars, I do something else. With a quick twist of my wand, some of the stars begin to rearrange themselves. The finished product is a beautiful lily in full bloom. "I think that's the best constellation."

"It's alright," Lily says teasingly. We fall silent for a moment, and I turn my head on my pillow to see Lily properly. She does the same. After a minute or so, she lifts her arm, pulls her glove off, and slides her warm hand into my icy one, lacing our fingers together. She looks up at the sky again, and says, "Look at the moon. I've always loved looking at it, it's so pretty."

I glance up, my thoughts mostly focused on the fact that Lily and I are holding hands. I'm distracted, however, by the moon. It's nearly full, meaning Remus will be transforming in the next few days. I feel bad that I've forgotten, but feel relieved that I didn't miss it because I was busy with Lily. I haven't been spending as much time with my friends as I used to, and I feel guilty about it. I'll have to start paying more attention to them during the day, since Lily and I spend a lot of nights together.

"What are you thinking about?" she asks suddenly.

"Nothing, really," I say with a smile. "Just how I'm not spending much time with the guys anymore."

"I don't tell my friends anything anymore, and I feel so guilty about it," Lily tells me. "I feel like I've got this whole new... I don't even know what to call it. But they know almost nothing about it, and I don't want them to find out, because I'm selfish, and I want to keep it to myself."

"You're not selfish," I say immediately. "You're the sweetest, kindest girl I've ever met. I mean that."

"Thanks," she murmurs, and I can imagine the blush creeping up her face. Not really thinking, I reach over and touch her cheek to see if I'm right. The heat I feel radiating from her skin gives me my answer. Feeling rather lucky, I release her hand and wrap my arms around her. She responds by snuggling into my side, and I wish, not for the first time, that this moment could go on forever.

The silence is comfortable for what feels like hours, until a loud crack of thunder causes Lily to jump about a mile. I look towards the east, where storm clouds are beginning to roll in. "Looks like it's going to rain," I say. Lily, who has leaped off her cot.

"Can we go inside?" she asks nervously.

"What's wrong?" I ask, examining her face. She looks pretty terrified.

"I don't like thunderstorms," she says delicately, shifting nervously. "Can we please go inside?"

"Alright," I agree. I take my wand out and give it a quick wave. Our star-watching supplies disappear, and Lily hurries inside. I follow, closing the door to block out the rumbles of thunder and fast-growing wind. "So why are you so afraid of a little thunder? It can't hurt you."

"I don't know," she says, crossing her arms. "I always have been. There's just something creepy about the sky sounding like it's about to explode."

I admit that she has a point, but I still can't help but feel incredulous that she's scared of a little thunderstorm. "We should probably get back to the common room." She nods, and we start down the stairs. In the rhythmic silence of our descent, her hand slips into mine again. At the base of the first staircase, Lily stops. "James?"

"What?"

Pushing herself up onto tiptoe, she kisses me on the cheek again. "Thanks."

"For what?"

She shrugs. "Everything."

. . .

**Lily's POV.**

We're halfway back to the common room, when I hear a noise. My grip on James' hand tightens. "What was that?"

"I don't know," he answers. "But I don't think it was Filch. We'd have detention by now if it was."

"You're lucky I'm not Filch," a voice sneered. "I'm surprised he hasn't caught you, considering all the noise you're making." I jump, and whip around to find out who's speaking. I don't know how to react when I see that Severus has come out of the shadows and is now bathed in moonlight. His lip is curled in disgust, and his eyes narrow when his gaze falls on my hand, which is clasped with James'.

"What are you doing here, Snivillus?" James demands, glaring at Severus.

"You're the only one allowed to wander the castle?" Severus snaps. "I had trouble sleeping, so I came here."

"Why here?" James asks suspiciously. "There's an entire castle for you to wander through, and you pick this spot?"

"I..." Severus falters. "It's none of your business, Potter."

"Did you follow us?"

"James," I whisper. "Just leave him alone, let's go."

"I can defend myself, thanks," Severus says furiously.

"Fine," I say coldly, my insides feeling as though they had been drenched with ice. Ever since Severus had called me a mudblood, our friendship had crumbled. He and I were going in completely opposite directions, and I didn't know where his would take him. It was completely shadowed by dark magic, and I didn't want to be a part of it. In a way, I had been almost glad when he'd called me that name. Oddly enough, this was the first time I'd seen him since school started back in September. I guess it was easy to ignore people when you were distracted by other things.

"- didn't follow you!" Severus is saying.

"It's not like he'd know," I point out to James, who is still glaring angrily. "Come on, let's just go." I tug at his hand, trying to get him to follow me.

"Fine," James growls. "But if I find out you followed us-"

"You'll what?" Severus sneered. "You're weak."

"Let's _go_!" I say, yanking harder. "James, come on. You're better than this."

"I don't want to be."

"You want to get expelled for something as ridiculous as this?"

"He called you a you-know-what!" James complains.

"That was two years ago," I say gently, watching Severus out of the corner of my eye. He looks utterly disgusted by the exchange. "Just forget about it. I have."

"Fine," James sighs. I tug him along, away from Severus, relieved that we avoided a fight. "But stay away from us!" he calls over his shoulder.

"My pleasure!" Severus yells back.

By the time we reach the common room, I'm drained. The thunderstorm scare and the argument have left me exhausted. "I'm going to bed," I tell James.

"Good night, Lily," James says, softening. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright." I give him a quick hug, then go upstairs and collapse on my bed. I fall asleep within the minute.

. . .

Tiffany prods me awake the next morning. "Oh Lily!" she says in a singsong voice. "I heard you kissed James last night."

"Only sort of," I say, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I'm still tired, but I can't sleep late like last weekend, because now I don't have an excuse to give my friends.

"What do you mean, 'sort of'?" Kaitlin asks.

"It was just on the cheek," I explain, throwing the covers back and going over to my trunk. I dig through it and pull out a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. "Why does it even matter?"

"Why does it _matter_?" Tiffany exclaimed. "Only because you've hated James for the past seven years, and suddenly you're sneaking off with him in the middle of the night and kissing him in the middle of a crowded common room?"

"How do you know about that?" I demand, dropping my clothes on the floor.

"You're not exactly sneaky," Andriana says. "You wake me up every time you open the door. I hate how it squeaks."

"So what's going on with you two?" Kaitlin asks, sitting down on my bed.

"I don't even know," I admit.

"Do you like him?" Tiffany demands.

"Yeah, I guess..."

"There is no 'I guess' in love," Tiffany snaps. "Either you like him or you don't."

"Okay, I like him. Happy?"

"Yes," they chorused.

"So what are you going to do about it?" Andriana asks.

"Nothing," I say.

"Ah, so you're letting him come to you?" Tiffany says, nodding.

"Sure," I say, desperate to end the conversation. In the past few weeks, I've noticed that my friends and I have kind of grown apart. I miss being able to tell them everything, but right now, it just feels awkward. "Let's go get breakfast." They agree, and drop the subject of James, for which I am relieved. However, they have a fair point. What are James and I doing?

**A/N: Like I said, it's really short. I'm sorry. :( But hey, another update, right? That's good. And the next chapter actually has quite a few plans, so it should be nice and big for you. Please leave me a review! :D**


	10. The Wedding

**A/N: Okay, so you guys are like the greatest reviewers ever. I feel like that last chapter was just a big chunk of cheese, but I'm glad you liked it. :) I hope you like this chapter even more.**

**Wanna Make a Bet?**

**Chapter Ten – The Wedding**

**Lily's POV.**

The remainder of November passes quickly, too quickly for my liking. It seems as though before I know it, December is here and my sister's wedding is looming out of the shadows, causing me a lot of stress. I've finally told my friends about the wedding and how I asked James to go with me. They think it's sweet.

Since the night Severus caught us in the hall, homework has been piled on us like mad. I'm finding less and less time to spend with anyone, let along with James. Remus is the only other person who is taking our workload as seriously as me. I spend all my free time in the library now, leaving no time for a relationship, no matter how much I want it.

It's easier for me to admit it to myself, now. I really like James, and I wish something could happen. I'm afraid to do anything myself, though, so I wait for him. However we hardly see each other anymore, because I've been spending so much time in the library. I can only hope that our workload will go back to normal after Christmas.

The week before my sister's wedding is here, and I suddenly realize that I have nothing to wear. I'm not even sure what one wears to a wedding. On Tuesday evening, when I'm working on a Transfiguration essay in the common room, because the library has closed, James seats himself beside me. "You're still awake?" I ask distractedly.

"I always am," he says with a smile. "You just never notice. You know, I'm beginning to think that you're taking this homework way too seriously. Does everything _have_ to be perfect?"

"Yes," I snap. "Only the best grades will get me in."

"Get you in to what?"

"I don't know. Whatever I decide to do when I leave school."

"You haven't decided yet?" James asks in surprise. "I thought you of all people would have your life planned out."

"And what are _you_ going to do?" I ask, feeling frustrated.

"I want to work in the Department of Magical Games and Sports."

"Quidditch?" I say. "You're obsessed."

"It's what I love," he says simply.

"What are you wearing on Saturday?" I ask abruptly.

"To the wedding? A tuxedo, I guess."

"Do you _have_ a tuxedo?" I demand.

"Well... No. But how hard could it be to get?"

"We're going to have to go shopping," I sigh. "Which means we'll have to get up early on Saturday. The wedding is at 11. That doesn't give us a lot of time."

"How hard could it be?" James repeats.

. . .

I can tell that James is regretting his earlier words as we wander through a muggle shop in London, trying to find clothes to wear to Petunia's wedding. "What kind of attire are you looking for?" the saleswoman asks kindly.

"We're going to a wedding," I explain. "And I'm not even sure what to wear. I've never been to a wedding before."

"White or pink is usually a good idea," the saleswoman tells me. "But since your hair is red, I think white would be the best choice." She leads me to the back of the store, and helps me pick out a simple, but pretty, white dress. It's strapless, and the short skirt covered in an additional layer of gauze-like material. A belt of rhinestones wraps around the waist. I put it on in the changing stall, and then poke my head out. "Can I wear it out?" I ask. "We're kind of in a hurry."

She gives me a strange look, but finally says, "That's fine." I stuff my street clothes and shoes into my bag, pull out a pair of black high heels, and strap them on my feet. I step out of the dressing room and say, "Now we need a tuxedo for him," I point to James.

"Easy," the saleswoman says, smiling. She leads us to the other side of the store, where a row of tuxes are lined up. "How about this?" she asks, pointing to a black one.

I examine James, then say, "That'll work." We take the tuxedo off the rack, and send James off to change. "How much?"

"£216," she says. We go back to the front of the store, where she rings it up. I hand her my money, most of my savings, then wait for James. A few minutes later, he joins me at the front, and we leave.

"You look really great," James says, reaching over and taking my hand.

"You do, too," I grin. Just being around James helps me lighten up, but I'm still worried about the wedding, and how my sister will react when she sees me there. I hope my mum had the sense to inform her that I would be attending. Although none of them knew that James was coming along. "We need to find a safe place to apparate," I add in a whisper. We didn't have enough to take muggle transportation to the church where Petunia would be saying her vows. We walk down the street a ways, until we find a deserted alleyway. I grasp James' hand more tightly as he turns on the spot and we apparate in another deserted alleyway, close to the church.

"Are you ready?" James asks, squeezing my hand and giving me a reassuring smile.

"No," I shake my head, beginning to feel queasy. "This is a bad idea. Can we just go back to Hogwarts?"

"After you spent all that money to make us look so good? I don't think so," James chides. "Besides, I was under the impression you brought me for a reason. To show me off, maybe?" He's teasing.

"Show you off as what?" I laugh. "Hey, everyone, this is my not-really boyfriend. Isn't he cute?"

"So you _do_ think I'm cute," James says.

I roll my eyes. "Come on, we're going to be late."

We walk down the sidewalk to the large, white church. At the foot of the stairs, I pause, take a deep breath, and we go inside. The entrance hall isn't very big, but the ceiling stretches to the sky, with a tinted skylight. The plush red carpet muffles the sound of our feet, and I glance around, wondering which of the many doors along the walls leads to the room where services are held – That's where the wedding will take place.

"Any ideas?" James asks. I shrug, and we move forward to the center of the hall. Suddenly, a door to our right bursts open, and my mother emerges.

"Lily Evans!" she hisses. "You're late!"

"I am not," I say. "It's not eleven-thirty yet."

"You were suppose to be here twenty minutes ago!" she says in frustration.

"Next time, maybe you should mention that," I snap. "I'm not psychic, you know."

"Just go sit down," my mother sighs, pointing to the double doors directly across from the front door.

"You haven't seen me in almost six months, and I don't even get a hello?" I demand. I don't want to be here in the first place, and the way my mother is acting makes me want to walk out the door and not even bother staying for the stupid wedding.

"I'm sorry, dear," she says, sighing again. "This wedding has put a lot of stress on us. Now, please, just do me a favor and go sit down. The family's in the front."

"But I don't wan-" I'm cut off as she pushes me towards the door, James being dragged along. She opens the door as quietly as possible and shoves us through. Literally everyone turns around to look at us, expectant. They stare at myself and James for a few seconds, then turn around, disappointed. I grip James' hand tightly, and we hurry down the row to the front, where the only family I see is my aunt and two cousins.

"Lily!" My aunt June whispers. "How have you been, dear?"

"Fine," I reply, sitting down. James takes the seat beside me, our hands still clasped.

"Who's this?" Aunt June asks, smiling widely.

"This is James," I start. "He's..."

"We're friends," he supplies.

Her gaze falls to our hands, and raises her eyebrows. I can tell that she doesn't believe us in the slightest, but I don't know how to explain what James and I are. I'm not sure that he knows, either. My two cousins lean over to greet me. Amelia, who's also seventeen, smiles at me, and smiles even wider at James. Gerald, who's nineteen gives me a hello, then eyes James suspiciously. Before I went to Hogwarts, Gerald and Amelia had been more like siblings than cousins. However, the past seven years away from home have caused us to drift apart.

I open my mouth to say hello, but the doors burst open behind us, and everyone, including myself, turn around to look. It's Vernon, the walrus my sister has decided to spend the rest of her life with. He waddles down the aisle and takes his place at the front of the church, beside the minister, who's holding a small, black bible in his hands. This can only mean that my sister isn't far behind.

"I want to leave," I whisper to James.

"It's too late now," he answers. "It'll be over soon."

After about ten minutes, the organ a few feet away from Vernon and the Minister strikes up the wedding march. The doors at the back open again, and a little girl in a fluffy pink dress bounces through, tossing flowers as she goes. Next are the brides maid, the maid of honor, and finally, my sister. Now, I have to admit, my sister has never exactly been pretty. Right now, however, she looks almost stunning.

_They must have spent a lot of time on her_, I think meanly, then rebuke myself for it. I have to remember to be the bigger person. Petunia comes down the aisle, arm in arm with my father, who wears a proud smile. When they reach the end of the aisle, Petunia takes a moment to sweep her gaze across the room, passing over me as if I'm not even there. As she turns to face front, the minister opening his bible, I rest my head against James' shoulder and let silent tears roll down my face.

James reaches over and brushes my tears away, and we watch the rest of the wedding together.

**James' POV.**

The wedding ceremony only lasts about half an hour, for which I am thankful, and I know Lily is as well. The rest of the day will be devoted to the reception. I'm hoping that Lily will cheer up at the party, because with all the people here, it will be easy for her to avoid her sister and still have a good time. We're among the last to leave, because we're in the front row, but we finally make it into another large room, where the party is.

"Are you hungry?" I ask her. She shakes her head stiffly. "Come on Lily Pad, lighten up."

She glances at me. "What'd you call me?"

"Lily Pad?" I ask, realizing that this is the first time I've actually had the nerve to call her that.

She smiles. "My dad called me that when I was little. And Tiger Lily."

"Are you going to introduce me to your dad?" I ask.

Her face falls. "Maybe later," she says. "When he's not hovering around Petunia."

"So what do you want to do until then?"

"Lets go sit with my cousins," she says. She leads me through the crowd to one of the small white tables where her cousins are seated. We slide into the seats across from them, and Lily says, "James, this is Gerald, and this is Amelia."

"Nice to meet you," I say, offering them my hand. Gerald shakes it silent, and Amelia bats her eyelashes at me. Lily strikes up a conversation, and we all talk together for a while. Lily relaxes as time goes on, but tenses up again when the dancing starts, her sister and brother-in-law poised in the middle of the dance floor. Lily has a clear view.

Her mother appears suddenly behind us and whispers, "Lily, dear. I'm terribly sorry, but would you mind watching the little ones for a while? Vernon's aunt would like a break."

"Not at all," Lily says, getting to her feet. She looks relieved to have a reason to leave the room. Grabbing my head, she pulls me along to the church's day care center, which is surprisingly full of kids. I don't see any that are younger than six or seven. The woman inside sighs happily when we arrive, gives us a quick thanks, and leaves hurriedly.

We sit down in chairs lined against the wall, and watch the kids silently for a few minutes. "I don't want to be here," Lily says.

"I know." Then, "But the worst part is already over. So why not stay for the fun?"

"If you can call this fun," she says, gesturing to the kids running wild throughout the room. "What are we suppose to do if they start attacking each other?"

"I have no idea," I reply. She laughs, and leans her head against my shoulder.

"I'm glad you came with me," she says quietly.

"So am I."

One of the youngest kids pauses in his wild race around the room, stares at us for a few moments, then says, "Ew!" and continues on his way.

"Kids are so weird," Lily mumbles.

We sit and watch the kids, talking about everything and nothing in the way we always seem to do, for about half an hour. Then, Amelia and Gerald show up. Lily looks up in surprise.

"Lily, your mum wants you for something," Amelia says, coming over to us and taking the seat on my other side.

"What does she need?" Lily asks.

Amelia shrugs. "She didn't say. But it probably won't take too long."

"Alright," Lily says, standing up. She smooths out the skirt of her dress and looks at me. "Just stay here. I'll be back soon." Almost as soon as she disappears, Amelia gets up as well. Her dark brown hair is tied up in a bun, with a few loose strands of hair falling in her face. She brushes them away, tugs on her wine red dress, and looks at me. "James. I need your help with something. Can you come with me?"

"Sure," I say, feeling a little apprehensive. Gerald sits down in one of the chairs farther down the wall, and crosses his arms, gaze on the children. He doesn't cast us so much as a glance as I follow Amelia out of the room. She takes a right, heading away from the room where the reception is being held. About ten feet down the hall, there's a turn, and a door immediately after. Amelia opens the door, and I'm confused to see a closet.

Then I realize. "Amelia..."

"Come on," she giggles, grabbing my and and pulling me towards her.

"I really don't think we should," I say, taking a step back.

"Don't you want to make out with me?" she asks with a sly smile, snaking her arms around my neck.

"Not really," I say, feeling uncomfortable. I reach up and tug her arms away.

"You know," Amelia says, clasping her hands behind her back and smiling widely, "Lily's ex-boyfriend is here. He's one of Gerald's friends, and he wanted to see her. That's why I told her that her mum was looking for her."

"Why would you do that?" I ask, exasperated.

"Because I wanted to talk to you alone. My cousin is such a prude," Amelia says, smoothing out the skirt of her dress. She gets too close for comfort, and whispers in my ear, "When is the last time you even kissed a girl? Or better?"

"I'm not kissing you," I say flatly, backing away again. I turn around and go back to the day care room. When I enter, Gerald is gone and Lily is watching the little ones again.

"Hey," she says with a small smile. "Where'd you go?"

"Your cousin kidnapped me," I say grumpily, sitting down beside her.

"I thought she might," Lily says, her smile twisting wryly.

"Then why did you leave me alone with her?" I ask, incredulous.

Lily shrugs. "I guess I wanted to see if she'd changed. I guess not."

"Changed?"

"When we were younger, she was always jealous of everything I had – she was always trying to steal whatever was the center of my attention. Today, it's you."

"She told me you went to see your ex-boyfriend," I say, attempting to be casual.

"Not purposely," she answers, her face hardening. "Gerald didn't want to spend the entire day with Amelia, so he invited Kyle along. He was late, that's why I didn't know about it before. I wish he hadn't come."

"Why?" I try to keep from upsetting her, but I'm curious about her past.

Lily gives me another smile, this one sad. "He was my first boyfriend, and I really liked him. One day he just dropped me. Looking back on it, I think that may have been Amelia's fault."

"She's not very nice," I observe.

"No," Lily agrees. "But she's still got some growing up to do."

We sit in silence for a while, until the door opens again, and an older woman enters the room. She gives us a smile and tells us that she's there to take over watching the kids. "You two go have fun."

"Thanks," Lily says, and we get up. On the way back to the reception, Lily says, "I need some fresh air. Do you want to come?"

"Of course." We go out a back door and sit on the old cement steps that lead out to a wide expanse of grass and several large trees. It's cold, and as we sit down, snow begins to fall. Our hands find each other, and Lily leans into me.

"James?"

"What?"

"I like you. A lot," Lily says, sitting upright to look me in the eye.

"You know exactly how I feel. I love you, Lily Evans," I whisper. I get to my feet and pull her up along with me. "You're the most amazing girl I've ever met. You have no idea how much I mean that."

"I have some idea," she says, blushing as her gaze falls to the ground.

"Lily."

"James." She takes a few steps, leaning against the church wall with a smile. I close the gap between us in a single step, and our lips crash together. She's sweet and soft, my hands landing on her waist. I press her against the wall as I deepen the kiss, her arms slip around my middle and hold me tight. I don't know how long this goes on for, but the loud giggle that interrupts us is definitely not welcome.

I'm not at all surprised to see that the one who giggled is Amelia. Beside her, with his arm around her waist, is a tall guy with light brown hair. He nods at Lily, who is red with embarrassment. "Hey."

"Hi, Kyle," she says faintly. Lily grabs my hand and says, "We're just going to leave. You two have fun." Then she yanks me inside. As the door closes behind us, cutting off the cold air that had been seeping into us, Lily examines me. "What's wrong?"

"They ruined everything," I grumble, realizing too late that it sounds rather childish.

"No they didn't," Lily says softly, touching her hand lightly to my face. "It was perfect. No one can ruin that."

"So what does this mean?"

"I don't know." She pauses. "Are we dating?"

"I hope so," I grin. "Then I could tell everyone that I have the prettiest girlfriend in the entire school."

"And I can say I have the most obnoxious boyfriend," Lily teases.

"So it's official," I say.

Lily nods. Then she presses her lips against mine, softly and for only a brief moment. "I think you won our little bet." A smile.

"I'm glad."

**A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed it. :) I certainly enjoyed writing it. I'm going to keep writing, don't worry. I'm just not so sure what I'm going to do next. Anyways, please leave me a review! I really appreciate them.**


	11. Rumors

**A/N: Thank you, everyone, for the reviews in the last chapter! I really appreciate them, and I'm glad you guys liked the chapter as much as I did. Anyways, here is Chapter 11 for you.**

**Wanna Make a Bet?**

**Chapter Eleven – Rumors**

**James' POV.**

When we return to Hogwarts, no one seems at all surprised that Lily and I are officially dating. It seems as though everyone expected it all along. Surprised or not, however, news of our new relationship spreads around the school like a wild-fire. What worries me, though, is that another rumor is spreading even more quickly. Recently, the _Daily Prophet_ has been reporting more and more about some guy who was calling himself Lord Voldemort. The most recent report was of murder, and though they were suspicious of this Voldemort guy, they had no proof.

The Wednesday after the wedding, we're sitting down to breakfast. I'm interrupted in reaching for the sausage when the owl post swoops down. A letter drops on my plate, just an update from my mum. She sends them once a week, on average. Lily is unrolling a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ beside me. She scans the front page, and reads silently for a few minutes. "Not again," she says, throwing the newspaper down on the table in disgust.

"What?" I ask, holding the letter from my mother in my hand, half opened.

"There's been another disappearance. It's obvious who's behind it, but the Ministry keeps saying they don't have 'sufficient evidence' to arrest him," she scowls.

"It's like they're not even trying," Andriana says quietly from across the table.

"I'm sure they are," I protest, but even I can't defend the fact that they still haven't moved to arrest Voldemort. It's obvious he's doing some bad stuff.

When breakfast is over, I can tell that Lily is still thinking about the news story, but she gives me a faint smile when I take her hand. We've already moved past the awkward new couple stage, probably from the couple-like behavior we had going on before. "Don't worry," I tell her. "The Ministry will do something soon."

"I hope so," she sighs. "It's just..." She trails off as we go downstairs to Potions. She seems distracted throughout the lesson, but she begins to recover in Transfiguration. By lunchtime, I think she's forgotten about it and she's a lot happier – which is good for me. We have a free period after lunch, and Lily and I leave our friends for some time alone. We go to our spot by the lake where we lay in the grass together, arms around each other. Lily dozes for a while, until I kiss her lightly. She smiles and blinks her eyes open. "That's a nice way to wake up."

She sits upright and kisses me back, several times, each kiss growing longer. We lay back down in the grass, lips still connected. I grab the small of her back and pull her closer, then weave my hands through her long hair. She tastes sweet, like apples, and she smells like flowers. It's a heady combination, and I'm glad we're outside. Our kisses gain increasing intensity, until we have to break away for air. Lily looks at her watch and says, "We should probably head inside now. Our free period is almost over."

I sigh, but get to my feet and then help her up. Lily smiles, and then gives me a long kiss. When she pulls away, she slips her arms around my middle and hugs me, her head resting lightly against my chest. We stand there for a few minutes, hugging, and I feel oddly and suddenly possessive of Lily. I don't ever want to let her go, and I never want to leave her side. Finally, she releases me, and I do the same for her. She slips her hand into mine, and we go back to the castle.

. . .

I'm sitting on the couch in the common room later, doing my homework. Lily's been in the library, because she says Sirius is too distracting. She's right, he is. It's almost impossible for me to get my homework done when he's around. Thankfully, he's off somewhere now. Probably with yet another girl. I'm beginning to see how childish Padfoot is sometimes, now that I have a steady relationship with Lily. The first one I've actually wanted to be in. Girlfriends in the past never really felt like girlfriends. It's almost like Lily is my first, but I know I'm not hers. Sometimes my thoughts linger on Kyle, and I wonder just went on between them. But then I remind myself that it's none of my business, and that I don't even have to worry about it. Lily and I are together now, and no one can come in between that.

I'm about halfway through my Charms essay when Lily returns from the library. She sits down on the couch beside me, tucking her legs beneath her. "Are you really still working on that?" she asks incredulously.

"Yes," I say, scratching out a sentence and rewriting it. I hate Charms, but Lily loves it and finds it annoyingly easy.

"Do you want some help?" she asks.

I want to say yes, but I shake my head. "I can do it."

"Alright," she says, and silence fills the room again. She stares into the fire while I scratch away at the parchment, my frustration increasing with each word. "Just let me do it," she says. "You're not any fun when you do homework."

"I think Flitwick would notice if you did my essay for me," I sigh, wishing I could accept her help.

"Just leave it for now," she says. "You can finish it later." Our insomnia hasn't gotten much better in the past few weeks, so she has a point. I'm about to point out that the sooner I get it done the more free time I have, when she gathers my essay and other supplies and puts them on the floor beside the couch.

"What are you-"

Lily leans over and kisses me, then leans away with a rather pointed look. "Oh."

"Oh," she repeats, smiling. She leans over again, and this time I meet her in the middle. The smell of flowers in stronger than ever, and her hair is soft and silky in my fingers. Her warm hands pull at the hem of my shirt, and slide up my chest. I tighten my grip and press against her, my heart racing. Lily's arms wrap around my neck, and she twists a strand of my hair around her finger. My hands fall down to her stomach, and as I'm grabbing her wait, my hands brush the side of her stomach and she lets out a giggle.

"Are you _ticklish_?" I ask, grinning madly.

"No!" she lies, wiggling away from me. "Don't you dare-"

She isn't able to finish, because I reach out to tickle her. She falls back on the couch and shrieks with laughter, attempting to bat me away. "Leave me alone!" She gasps for breath and kicks at me. I dodge her and strike a particularly ticklish spot. She shrieks again, and kicks her feet once more. This time she strikes me on the chest, and I fall to the floor.

"Ow," I laugh, rubbing my chest.

"I'm... sorry..." she says, between deep breaths. She rubs her stomach, which I'm guessing is sore from all the insane laughter. She crawls down onto the floor beside me and looks down at me. Her hair swings over her shoulder like a curtain and brushes my face. I grab her upper arms and pull her down to kiss her. She gives a faint mumble of protest, but kisses me back. I can feel her smile as we press our lips together.

"Do I want to know how you got on the floor?" a loud voice interrupts.

Lily and I groan simultaneously, and Lily sits up to glare at Sirius. "Did you really have to say something?"

"Of course I did," Sirius grins. "It's so much fun when you get mad."

"Sirius, please go away," I beg.

"Nah, I don't think I will," Sirius says, throwing himself down onto the couch we had occupied on minutes before. Lily's hands ball into fists, but she makes no move to hit Sirius.

"You're so annoying," Lily sighs. "You just have to ruin everything, don't you?"

"Yes, I think so," he answers, tucking his arms behind his head.

Lily rolls her eyes. "Come on," she tells me. "We should probably be patrolling the corridors, anyways."

"Alright," I agree. We get off the floor and move towards the portrait hole. I smack Sirius on the head as we pass him.

"You'd do the same to me," he laughs, and I know he's partially right. I would have, before Lily and I started our weird sort-of relationship. Since then, I've grown up some, and I wish Sirius would do the same. We've been best friends for so long, but I realize how immature he looks to Lily, and how he's starting to look to me. I frown as we step out into the hall.

"What's wrong?" Lily asks, concerned.

"Sirius," I say shortly. I'm not sure how to explain it to her, or even if I really want to talk about it. I've never questioned my friendship with Sirius before, and now that I am, I feel kind of sad. Lily seems to understand, in the same way that she still hasn't fully explained the conflict between her and her sister. "Maybe we should patrol separately tonight. We'll finish faster that way."

Some sort of emotion flashes across her face, but it's gone before I can identify it. "Alright," she agrees. "I'll meet you back here soon." She plants a quick kiss on my cheek, and then disappears down the dark hallway. I turn and go the opposite direction.

. . .

**Lily's POV.**

I wish that James and I were patrolling together, but he wants to be alone, and I have to respect that. I know that if something were bothering me and I wanted to be alone, he'd leave me alone. James is almost perfect like that. Now that I've gotten to know him, I realize just how sweet and caring he is, not as obnoxious as I thought he was. I attribute this fact to his maturing. He no longer acts like a child, behaving more like Remus always has. Remus, too, has matured, though. Neither of them have been involved in any pranks this year, though I know that has disappointed Sirius to the extreme. But Sirius will grow up soon enough, and their friendship will continue, whether I like it or not.

Sirius Black. Sometimes I really hate him. The way I used to hate James, in fact. His childish manner is far from charming, so I can't see why other girls fall all over themselves to get a chance with him. He's rather rude, and not committed to any sort of relationship. Why would any girl want to be with him knowing that sooner or later (usually sooner) he was going to drop them like a hot potato and move on to something more appealing? It was one of the biggest reasons I ignored James whenever he had asked me out in the past. I just didn't want to fall for someone like that. The more attention you give them, the sooner they'll lose interest.

I'm so lost in thought as I wander through the hall that I don't notice the figure until I almost ram into them. I clap my hand over my mouth to muffle my startled scream and step swiftly away. I have to say, I'm only half surprised when the figure turns out to be Severus. Taking a deep breath to calm my pounding heart, I cross my arms and glare at him. "What are you _doing_?" I demand. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"No," Severus says quickly. "I just wanted to talk to you."

"Well?" I wait, tapping my foot impatiently.

He's quiet for a moment, his face strained. Finally, he bursts, "Are you really dating _Potter_?"

"That's what you want to know?" I demand. "Yes, I am dating James Potter. Are you happy?" He looks anything but happy. He glowers down at the floor, his mouth working furiously to form words. He gives up after a few moments and remains silent. Sighing angrily, I ask, "Is that all you wanted?"

"No!" Severus says, throwing an arm out to stop me from leaving. "My friends..." he falters.

"Your friends?" I ask. "Those Dark Arts-lovers who like to torment people? You call them friends?"

"It's not any different from what Potter and Black do," he mutters.

"James and Sirius don't do anything evil," I retort. "Childish, maybe, but not evil. Your 'friends' remind me of that Voldemort guy. It wouldn't surprise me if they were all in on this stuff together," I snort.

Severus hesitates, and it's enough for me to realize that I am exactly right. I step away swiftly, and whisper, "You're not... With them?" I hope it's not true. Severus destroyed our friendship, and I can't bear to see him sometimes, but I don't think I could stand it if he joined a group of murderous wizards. He hesitates still, and I have my answer. "Sev..." I whisper.

"Just be careful," he blurts, looking pained. "Okay?"

"_I _should be careful?" I demand. "Sev, look at where you are. You're part of a murder gang! And you're telling _me_ to be careful?"

"Look," Severus says, "He doesn't... He doesn't think muggle-borns should be allowed to come to Hogwarts."

"So you're spending your time with a prejudice murder. Real nice, Sev," I say, rolling my eyes. He opens his mouth to say more, but I interrupt him. "I don't want to talk to you anymore Severus. Just leave me alone, okay?" I turn and hurry away from the scene, to find a dark corner to sit in. For some reason unknown to me, a fear tears run down my cheek. Maybe it's because, even though I couldn't forgive him for calling me a mudblood, I couldn't ignore that I care about Severus. I would never have wanted this for him, to be involved in such a thing. What pulled him into it?

I wipe the tears from my face and get to my feet. I finish patrolling my section quickly, then go back to common room to find James. I need something to take my mind off of what I just found out. I wonder briefly whether I should tell James about what I found out, but decide against it. He already hates Severus enough, I don't need to give him more of a reason to go out of his way to make Severus angry. Who knows what that could lead to now?

James is waiting for me in the common room. I can see that he's still distracted by whatever is going on in his head. This is good for me, because he doesn't notice how distracted _I_ am. Everyone has gone to bed by now, but neither James or I are tired. I sit down beside him, and he wraps his arms around me. We curl up together, both lost in our own thoughts, quiet for hours. Finally, around two-fifteen, I let out a large yawn and James smiles. "Time for bed?" he asks.

I nod. He hugs me, then releases me so I can get off the couch. I bend down and give him a brief kiss before heading up the stairs to my dormitory. "Good night," I say.

"Good night, Lily Pad."

. . .

In the morning, the distress of my run-in with Severus has faded, and when I realize that Christmas break and the Yule Ball are just a week and a half away, I'm much more cheerful. I get ready with Kaitlyn, Andriana, and Tiffany, and we go downstairs to the Great Hall for breakfast. Twenty minutes later, when we're almost finished, James and the others join us. He plants a kiss on my cheek as he sits down beside me, and reaches for the food.

The owls swoop down, dropping another copy of _The Daily Prophet_ in front of me. I open the newspaper to find more stories about mysterious things going on. I fold it back up and throw it onto the table in front of me. I don't say anything this morning, but the fact that the Ministry of Magic is doing very little to uncover what this Voldemort guy is up to. Don't they care about the obvious deaths? Looking around the Great Hall, I can tell that not a lot of students share my concern. Those who grew up in the magical world don't hold any doubts that the Ministry will stop him before he's gone too far, but I think he's already gone too far. Innocent people have died, and no one has said a word.

In class, the teachers are loading us down with still more work, because our N.E.W.T.s are coming up. I get nervous as I think about them, still unsure of what it is I want to do. Maybe I should think about joining the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, seeing as they're falling behind on their job. I spend the morning imagining how I would improve the department. It keeps me occupied through our morning classes, and I realize that I may have actually found something that I want to do when I leave Hogwarts.

James notices that I'm cheerful at lunch, a jump from my mood at breakfast. "What are you so happy about?"

"Nothing," I say, unwilling to tell him that I spent the morning tearing apart the Department of Magical Law enforcement and rebuilding it in my head. "Just happy, I guess." I give him a kiss to prevent any more questions.

After dinner, James and I are in the library doing homework. Or, more accurately, I'm doing home, and James is intent on charming a paper swan to fly around my head. "Shouldn't you be doing homework?" I ask, putting my quill down.

"Finished it," he replies.

"Right," I snort.

"I'm serious! I finished it already."

"How?" I ask in disbelief.

"I never said I did it _well_," he says with a grin. I roll my eyes and pick my quill back up to finish my homework. I'm almost done with Transfiguration when Tiffany comes into the library.

"Hey, Lily, can I talk to you?" she asks, shooting a look at James. He and I exchange confused glances, but I agree and follow her to a deserted row of dusty books. She seems nervous, and I wonder what she wants to tell me that she can't say in front of James.

"What's the matter?" I ask.

She bites her lip, then blurts out, "Sirius asked me to the Yule Ball."

Without meaning to, I let out a laugh. "What'd he do when you told him no?"

"I didn't say no," she says, staring at the floor. "I know you hate him, but no one else has asked me, and I really want someone to go with..." She trails off and lifts her head to look at me. "Are you mad?"

I haven't decided how I feel yet, but I shake my head anyways. "No," I tell her. "You deserve to have fun."

Tiffany looks relieved, and she gives me a quick hug. "I'm glad. See you in the common room later." She walks back to the table with me, then leaves me alone with James.

James looks at me curiously. "What did she say?"

"Sirius asked her to the ball."

"He never said anything about Tiffany," James says, frowning. "Last I heard, he was planning on asking Elisabeth Brown." Elisabeth is a Hufflepuff fifth-year.

I shrug. "I wonder what made him change his mind. I wish Tiffany wasn't going with him."

"Why? James asks.

"Because he's just going to hurt her. We both know he's incapable of making a commitment," I say, thinking of all the crying girls I've seen Sirius avoid over the years.

"People can change," James points out, and I know he's a little offended that I'm insulting his best friend.

"Not Sirius," I reply. "He'll never be satisfied with just one girl. He'll never commit to anyone."

"I did," James says.

"You're different."

"How?" He has a point – he and Sirius are best friends for a reason. When I don't have an answer, he smiles triumphantly. "Sirius can change."

"I seriously doubt it. Tiffany's going to be broken-hearted after the ball." I think of how I felt when James ditched me for Sydney at the Halloween dance. Although that was kind of my own fault, for telling him it was alright with me. I just hadn't expected him to dance with her the entire time. I feel a flash of resentment now, but I can't say anything about it.

"What?" James asks, reading my face.

"Nothing," I answer.

"Something is wrong," he says, getting up and coming around the table to sit beside me. He leans in close and brushes his lips against mine, but just barely. "Tell me."

"It's nothing."

"You'll feel better if you tell me," he whispers, kissing me again. He takes my hand and gives it a squeeze, then kisses me twice more. "What is it?"

"I was just thinking about Halloween," I admit.

"And Sydney?" James asks. I nod. "Did I mention I was sorry about that?"

"I think you might have," I answer, smiling. Our lips meet again for a brief moment, and then I get up from my seat. "Come on, let's go back to the common room." I gather my books and homework and arrange them in my bag, which I then swing over my shoulder. James takes my hand again, and we walk back to the common room together.

"I still think Sirius can change," James tells me on the way. "He won't hurt Tiffany."

"I think he will."

"Oh really? Well then, it's a bet."

"Fine," I answer. "But when I win, you have to do whatever I say for a day."

"Same goes for you," James replies with a laugh.

"I don't think we have to worry about me," I say, giving him an innocent smile. I am determined to win this bet, but deep down I feel guilty for making a bet about my best friend and whether or not she'll be crushed by Sirius. Despite the competitive feeling, I hope that I'm wrong about Sirius.

**A/N: Before anyone flames me about the whole Sirius/Tiffany thing, please hold your comments for the next chapter.**

**Other than that, please let me know what you thought about this chapter! Sorry it took so long to get out, but school has kept me pretty busy. Leave me a review? :)**


	12. Happy Christmas, Hogwarts!

**A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update! I've been busy with my AP classes, and just wholly uninspired. **

**Arabella, whom I can't reply to because it was anonymous, JKR actually stated in an interview that James was a chaser. They made him a seeker in the movie because the director thought it would connect better, because Harry is a seeker.**

**Wanna Make a Bet?**

**Chapter Twelve – Happy Christmas, Hogwarts**

**Lily's POV.**

It seems as though Christmas is upon us before I can even blink. I haven't had any time to think about buying gifts for my friends, or James. In fact, I don't even know what to get for James. Are you supposed to get something special for your boyfriend? Every idea I come up with seems less and less like something that James would want as a present. Finally, I come across a book advertised in the _Daily Prophet_ called _Quidditch Through the Ages_. I decide to order it for him, since I have no other ideas for a present.

Then there's the Yule Ball to think about. James hasn't officially asked me to go with him, although I'm not going to make a big deal out of it if he doesn't. I don't need him to, really, but it would be nice if he did. I'm still worried about Tiffany going to the Ball with Sirius, because it just screams bad idea. I don't think I could stand it if Sirius hurt my best friend. The other thing I don't think I could stand is if they started dating. Sirius would break her heart, either way.

I try to tell Kaitlyn and Andriana this, but neither of them listens to me.

"Tiffany knows what she's doing," Kaitlyn says. "Don't worry about her."

"She's a big girl," Andriana adds. "She can do what she wants."

It worries me that neither of them sees Sirius as the threat that he is. Do they _want_ to spend weeks on end listening to Tiffany cry and ask us why we didn't stop her? But maybe they're right. Maybe I'm worrying about nothing. I hope James and the others are right, and Tiffany will be fine after the dance, even if means losing another bet and having to do anything and everything James tells me for 24 hours. I still feel guilty for making the bet with him in the first place. After all, it's one thing to gamble on my own feelings, but quite another to gamble on my friend's.

The Saturday before the Ball, which is on Tuesday, there is a Hogsmeade trip. Grateful that I have time to find something to buy my friends, I ask James to go with me. I already have his gift, so I don't have to worry about him being there when I buy it. I still have no clue as to what I should buy for the girls, but hopefully I'll come across something for each of them while we're shopping.

"I have no idea what to buy any of them," I moan, pulling James down the road to a group of shops. Another pang of guilt hits me, because I should know exactly what to get them. We've been best friends for almost seven years now, and I know everything about each of them. Unfortunately, that doesn't make Christmas shopping any easier.

"Just get Andriana a book," James tells me. "She'll read anything."

"That's a good idea," I agree. We go a small bookshop towards the end of the lane, and I pick out a book that I think will interest her. I pay 11 sickles and an extra 2 for them to giftwrap it. I put the wrapped present into my bag, and follow James out the door. "Now I just need to find something for Kaitlyn and Tiffany…" I glance around Hogsmeade hopelessly and say, "Why does shopping have to be so difficult?"

"Well, what do Kaitlyn and Tiff -" James is interrupted by a loud rumble from the sky. I look up and see that dark grey clouds are beginning to cover the sky, blocking the sun out.

"Great," I say, crossing my arms, "Rain." As soon as I speak, the clouds decide to open up and let the water cascade down. Within seconds, James and I are drenched, and it's difficult to see more than two feet in front of us. James takes my hand and pulls me to the nearest shelter; the overhang in front of an old, empty shop.

"It's not the worst that could happen," James says, squeezing my hand and using his free one to shake water from his hair. I pull my hand away to wring the water from my own hair, and then let out a sigh. James is right, of course, but that doesn't make the fact that I'm soaking wet any more bearable. "I'm sure it'll stop soon."

"I hope so," I say, doubtful. But once again, James is right. Only a few minutes later, the rain ceases to a drizzle, and then stops completely. I take out my wand and perform a simple charm that dries us both, and we leave our makeshift shelter. James pulls out his own wand, nudges me, and then gives his wand a wave. A rainbow shoots out of the end and settles itself in the sky, looking beautiful among the misty clouds.

"So _that's_ where rainbows come from," I say.

"Yeah, I travel around the world shooting rainbows into the skies," James jokes. "So, where to?"

"Well, I guess for Kaitlyn we should -" I break off at a small, pitiful sound. I glance at James, who looks confused. We look around, and the noise comes again, softer than before. I crouch down to get a closer look at the ground around me, wondering what could be making the noise. An injured owl, maybe, or some other kind of animal? I hear the sound again, and I realize that what I took for a lump of dirt is where the noise is coming from. I reach out and gently scoop it up in my hands. "It's a kitten!" I exclaim, straightening up.

James stares at it. "That doesn't look like a kitten," he says.

"That's because it's wet and hungry," I answer. I rub its fur the wrong way, trying to warm it up a bit, and it gives a squeal of protest, which I take as a good sign.

"What are you doing to it?" James asks.

"Warming it up," I say. "Poor thing must be freezing."

"Lily… You're a witch. Just dry it off with your wand."

"Oh," I say, blinking a few times. The thought hadn't occurred to me. I take my wand out and use the same charm I had used on myself and James just minutes before. Dry, the kitten is much cuter, and seems to be regaining some life. It gives a few more mews, these less pitiful than before. "Look, he's adorable!"

James shrugs. "I'm not much of a cat person."

"How could you not think this is cute?" I ask, holding the kitten out. It looks at James, sneezes, and then lets out another meow.

"It's alright," James say with another shrug. "Are you going to keep it?"

I shake my head. "But you know what?" I ask, getting excited. "He would make the perfect present for Kaitlyn! She loves animals."

"Then why doesn't she already have a pet?" James wonders.

"Her parents are allergic to everything," I answer, stroking the kitten.

"So what is she going to do with a cat that her parents are allergic to?"

"Well she doesn't have to go home after this. We're all of age now, remember? I won't be going home if I can help it; the less I have to see Petunia, the better."

"Come on, Lily," James says. "Your sister doesn't hate you. She wasn't hostile at the wedding."

"That's because she didn't even look at me," I answer, rolling my eyes. As an only child, James just doesn't understand sibling rivalry, or whatever this fight between Petunia and I has become. I'm not going to attempt to explain it, though, because it's something you can only get if you have a brother or sister. But James has never had to compete for attention, has always gotten whatever he wanted. I'm surprised he's not more spoiled, really.

"So what are you going to do with it until Christmas?" James asks, pointing at the kitten in my hands.

"It… Can stay in your room?" I ask with a wide smile.

James sighs. "I don't know how much Sirius will like that," he says.

"Why not?" I ask, straightening in surprise.

"He's more of a dog person," James explains. "I don't think he could live with a cat, even if it's just for a few days."

"But it's just a kitten!" I protest, holding it up to eye level. It blinked at me and let out a mew. "How could anyone resist something so cute?"

"He just doesn't like cats."

"Please, James?" I beg. "I don't know where else I would keep it."

"Alright," James agrees finally. "But you owe me."

"Thank you!" I exclaim, kissing him on the cheek.

"So now we just need something for Tiffany?" he asks.

"Yeah," I answer. "Don't you have to shop for anyone?"

"I've had everyone's presents for a month," James informs me. "I plan ahead with these kinds of things."

"And I don't even know what to get my best friend," I sigh. "Shopping for people is so hard."

"It's not that hard. Look, what kind of stuff does Tiffany like?"

"Well," I begin, "She likes-" But before I can finish, I'm cut off by another mewl from the kitten. I slap a hand to my forehead, and look at James. "Poor thing, it must be starving. We need to find it something to eat."

James sighs and shakes his head, but he goes along with me. We go to the Three Broomsticks, and James orders a plate of fish and chips, and then brings it outside to me. We share the fries, and I rip the fish into small pieces to feed to the kitten, who is old enough to eat solid foods. When the fish and chips are gone, the kitten purrs in a high-pitched tone, and falls asleep on my lap. I pick it up and gently deposit it in my pocket. "Now, we need something for Tiffany."

We end up buying Tiffany a funky necklace that I think she will like. After I've paid for it and had it wrapped, James grabs my hand. "Care for a drink?" he asks me, motioning to the Three Broomsticks. I smile, and we go inside for a butterbeer. The drink makes me feel warm and relaxed after the chill and snow outside. We sip our drinks slowly, in between talking about absolutely nothing and exchanging a few kisses.

"Do you have your dress robes ready?" I ask.

"Of course," James says. "I can't wait to dance with you."

"I'll have to see if I can fit you in," I tease. "I have to give the other boys a chance, too, seeing as I don't have a date."

"What do you mean? You're coming with me… Aren't you?" he asks me, looking suddenly unsure. His hazel eyes are filled with confusion, and I laugh at him.

"No one's bothered to _ask_ me to the ball," I inform him.

"I didn't know you wanted me to ask," James says, his voice colored with relief.

"It's fine," I assure him, giving him a quick kiss.

This doesn't stop him. To my slight embarrassment, James gets out of his chair and kneels in front of me. "Lily Evans," he says dramatically, "Would you do me the favor of attending the Yule Ball with me?"

"James," I hiss, looking around with a pink face. People are staring at us, and I don't like it. "Get up."

"Just say you'll go!" James insists, determined.

"Okay, okay, I'll go!" I laugh. "Just get up!"

"Great," James says, jumping to his feet. "Ready to go?"

"Yes," I say, eager to get away from the staring faces. Do people really not have anything better to do than watch James and I? James leaves a few coins on the table to pay for our drinks, and we leave quickly. On the walk back to school, the kitten wakes up again and pokes its head out of my pocket. Now that it's been fed and is dry and warm, the kitten is lively. I have a hard time keeping it in my jacket as we walk up to school.

Finally, we reach the Gryffindor common room. James takes the kitten up to his dormitory, and I find a fifth-year girl that has a cat. She agrees to give me some cat food, and I take it upstairs with me. James has a few bowls stashed away, apparently from when he's 'stolen' soup from the kitchens. I fill one with cat food, and James fills the other with water, and we set them down in front of the kitten. "It should be fine now," I say, satisfied.

"Now that you're not distracted," James says, slipping his arms around my waist and pulling me close, "You can focus on more important things."

"Like you?" I tease.

"Exactly." James presses his lips against mine, warm and soft. I oblige and wrap my arms around his neck. My hands play with his already messy hair, while our lips crash together more eagerly now. I can feel my heart pounding against my chest, and my whole body grows warm, as if someone lit a candle and my heart was pumping the fire through my veins, instead of blood. I tighten my grip on him, and close the last millimeter of space between us.

As always, we're interrupted. The interruption is more polite this time, a slight cough from Remus. I practically jump away from James, embarrassment turning my face pink. "I'll just… go," I say, hurrying past Remus for the door. He's got a smile on his face, a knowing smile, a look that I'm beginning to hate. I've seen too many people use it since I started dating James.

In all honesty, I'm a little glad for the interruption. I need to contemplate the odd feeling I got just now. James and I haven't been dating for very long. It's too soon for me to even think about it. But the truth of the matter is, I think I may be in love with James Potter.

. . .

**James' POV**

Christmas morning is a louder affair than I'm used to. I've always gone home for Christmas, even in our third year, the last time a Yule Ball was held. What thirteen-year-old boy wants to go to a dance? Certainly not me, that was for sure. But now that I'm dating Lily, I decided to stay and take her to the dance. The other option was inviting her to stay with me and meet my parents, but somehow I didn't think she'd be overly crazy about the idea.

She wakes me up that morning with a sweet kiss, her hair brushing my cheek as she leans over. It's much better than an alarm clock, or Sirius pushing me to the floor. "Morning," I say, yawning and pulling her down for another kiss.

"Could you please take the kissy face somewhere else?" Sirius asks from his bed in a disgusted voice. "It's Christmas. Cut me some slack."

"Fine," Lily says, rolling her eyes. "I only came in to get the kitten, anyways."

"Take the cat and get out, then," Sirius growls, eager to get the tiny, furry creature out of our room. He absolutely detests cats, and wouldn't speak to me for two hours when he found it curled up on my bed. Lily bends down to scoop the kitten off the floor and heads for the door. "See you later," she promises me with a smile.

"Does she have to come in here?" Sirius complains.

"Can't the two of you get along?" I ask.

"Not in this lifetime," he answers, turning away to open his presents.

I look at my own stack of presents and pick up the one on top, from Lily. I can tell by the shape and feel that it's a book, and I'm slightly disappointed, until I see what book it is. I don't enjoy reading, but this looks promising. Along with the book, I get a new set of gobstones, a bag of jokes from Zonko's, a new watch, a box of Chocolate Cauldrons and Ice Mice, and new Chaser's gloves. I'm pleased with all of it.

Downstairs in the common room, Lily and her friends have already finished unwrapping their presents, and are lounging in front of the fire. Lily sits up to make room for me on the couch she's occupied, and leans against me when I sit down. I put my arm around her, and say, "Thanks for the book. It actually looks interesting."

"I'm glad you liked it," she smiles. I look over at Kaitlyn, who's curled up in one of the armchairs with her new kitten in her lap. Lily sees me and says, "She named him Tiger."

"Cute," I say, but I don't really care. Christmas is about being around your friends and family, the people that you love, but I wish that Lily and I were alone. Sometimes I feel like we don't get enough time alone.

"Anyone up for a game of Exploding Snap?" Sirius asks from a table in the corner of the common room. Remus, Peter, Tiffany, and Kaitlyn join him, while Andriana hovers around the edge, watching. Neither Lily nor I feel like getting up, so we watch from the couch, making comments.

Two hours and three games of Exploding Snap later, it was time for Christmas lunch. We all went downstairs to the Great Hall, where there was plenty of delicious food, although the feast wouldn't be until tonight. I was looking forward to that; feasts were one of my favorite things in the world. Food in general was one of my favorite things, really.

When we're stuffed, we head back up to the common room as a group. Sirius pauses to take a large number of mints from the table, and I'm confused. He doesn't need that much candy. His intentions become clear when we're all seated on the couches or in the armchairs. Sirius pours the mints onto a table and begins to divide them into eight piles, one for each of us. "What's that for?" Tiffany asks curiously.

"I was bored, so I figured we could play a game," Sirius says. "You've all played Never Have I Ever before, I assume?"

We all nod, and Sirius gives us each a pile of mints. We all get ten. "If you've done whatever is said, you have to put a mint in the middle. If you lose all ten, you're out. I'll go first."

There's a pause as Sirius thinks. After a moment or two, he says, "Never have I ever read a book."

"That can't possibly be true," Lily protests.

"Alright," Sirius amends. "Never have I ever read an _entire_ book."

Grumbling, all four girls put a mint in the middle of the table. Remus deposits one as well, and after a moment of thinking, I add one to the pile myself. Kaitlyn goes next. She thinks, tapping a finger to her chin. It takes a few minutes, but finally she says, "Never have I ever ridden a roller coaster."

Lily and Andriana, the only two with muggle parents, put mints in the middle of the table. "I'm already losing!" Lily complains.

The game goes on for a couple of hours, until Lily stands up and announces that she needs to start getting ready for the dance. I suspect that this has something to do with the fact that she has only one mint left (after having lost the last three games), but then I notice how late it's getting. Tiffany, Kaitlyn, and Andriana get up as well, and follow Lily upstairs to get ready for the dance. How it could possibly take them more than twenty minutes to put on dress robes is beyond me, but that's girls for you.

The girls stay upstairs the entire time, but we boys play another few games of Exploding Snap. At 7:30, we finally put everything away and head upstairs to put our dress robes on, and maybe brush our hair. Even with all that hair brushing, we're still downstairs in the common room before the girls are. Sirius flops down on the couch, wrinkling his dress robes. Remus departs, because he actually has a date. She's a sixth-year Ravenclaw, so he has to go meet her somewhere else. Peter doesn't have a date, and stays with me and Sirius.

Finally, a few minutes past eight, Lily and the others come downstairs. I have to say that she looks amazing, but I don't see how that could have taken nearly three and a half hours. Her hair is pulled away from her face in a long braid that fell over her shoulder, with a small green bow attached to the end, to match her dress. It's fairly basic, with only one shoulder and a full skirt, but Lily makes it beautiful. I put an arm around her waist and whisper, "You look fantastic."

"Thanks," she says, her eyes bright with excitement. "You look great, too." She reaches up and adjusts my tie. "Are you ready?"

"Of course," I say. Since tonight is about being a couple, we can leave the others and head to the dance alone. The Great Hall has been decorated between now and lunch for the occasion, complete with fake snow and icicles. The four house tables have disappeared and been replaced with smaller tables, like a restaurant. "Are you hungry?" I ask her.

Lily shakes her head, and I wonder if she's nervous, like I am. Unfortunately for me, when I'm nervous, I like to eat. It's not much of a change, actually. There's a band on the small stage that has been placed on the raised step where the teachers eat, but they're still setting up. Lily and I sit down at one of the tables to wait. I try a few times to start a conversation, but they all fall flat. We're both more content to sit in silence. I hold her hand across the table, enjoying the feeling of her soft, warm skin against mine.

The band begins to play, and couples move onto the dance floor. I look at Lily, who shrugs. I don't think she's much more interested in dancing than I am, but she stands up, and leads me to the group of dancers. We 'dance' through a few songs (more like spinning around in circles, really), but spend more time sitting at one of the tables. I'm a little worried, but Lily seems happy about the few times we danced, and is satisfied to hang out and talk. This is going much better than our last dance date.

When midnight rolls around, the teachers announce that the ball is over and tell us all to go back to our common rooms. Lily and I stand up and leave the Great Hall hand in hand, heading upstairs. I'm tired and looking forward to my warm bed, but at the same time, I wish that I didn't have to leave Lily's side. She makes me feel so happy, happier than I ever remember being before.

We're the first ones back to the common room, so I don't hesitate to lean down and kiss her. It's short, because I don't want anyone to interrupt us again. I raise her hand, still intertwined with mine, and kiss that as well. "Good night, Lily," I murmur. It feels so natural to add, "I love you." Lily's eyes widen slightly, and though she opens her mouth, nothing comes out. For a brief moment, I worry that I've ruined everything by telling her what I've wanted to say since we were eleven, but she recovers quickly and gives me one of her special smiles.

"And I love you," she whispers. Her smile wavers, and a tear rolls down her cheek.

"Why are you crying?" I ask, incredulous. I didn't say anything stupid this time.

"Because I love you, stupid," she says, wiping the tear away impatiently. "I know it hasn't been that long, but I just feel like… Maybe we were always meant to be together. Tonight I feel like we've been together for years, not just two months. You're perfect for me."

I can't think of anything to say in response, but I don't have to. Instead, we kiss.

**A/N: Yeah, so maybe the whole 'I love you' thing was kind of soon. But we all know James and Lily **_**are**_** perfect for each other – not like those kids at school that think they're going to get married and have six kids when they've been dating for three days. So I hope you liked it! Leave me a review? :D**


	13. Lily's 18th Birthday

**A/N: I suppose the lack of reviews is due to my infrequent updates. Ah well, I need to stop relying on comments to make me want to write. Anywho. Here's Chapter 13.**

**Wanna Make a Bet?**

**Chapter Thirteen – Lily's 18****th**** Birthday**

**James' POV**

Christmas break was over and we were back in classes again much too soon. It's always hard to get back into the routine of school after a break, even if it's only two weeks long. For people like me, who don't enjoy school in the first place, it's even harder. Sure, I'm smart, but homework is pretty much the bane of my existence. I get the feeling that Lily is the only reason I'm going to pass my N.E. . If it weren't for her, I'd been slacking off big time right now.

Lily's birthday is coming up soon, and I'm unsure of what to get her. I have a few ideas, but none of them seem right. I still have a few weeks to come up with a present, and what to actually do that day. I'm sure she'll want to spend time with her friends, but I'll have something planned for the evening. But again, I just have ideas. There's no solid plan yet. Sirius is no help; he's never been serious about a girl before. As it turns out, Tiffany is no exception. Oddly enough, though, this seems to be mutual. They both agree that they had fun at the dance, but neither one of them is interested in pursuing anything further.

"So who wins that bet?" Lily asks from the corner we're sitting in, her head resting on my shoulder, arms wrapped around my torso.

"I don't know," I admit. "I guess I was technically right… But they're not going out."

"We never really specified," Lily points out, and I'm surprised at how fair she's being. She hates losing.

"Does that mean I win?"

Lily lets out a long, dramatic sigh. "I suppose it does," she says huffily. "But just because we're dating doesn't mean I won't hit you if you start being a prat."

"Lily. I'm hurt," I say, clutching my hand to my chest in mock sadness.

"Just be careful about what you ask me to do," she warns.

"I'll think it over very carefully," I promise.

"If you two are done being all coupley," Tiffany calls, "I need help with my Charms homework."

Lily gives a soft sigh, one that only I can hear, and gets up to join her friends. I get to my feet as well, and go over to the other corner, where Sirius, Remus, and Peter are huddled together. I sit down in the last empty chair, and Sirius glances at me. "Noticed us finally, have you?"

"Come on, Sirius, be fair," I complain, but I know he's got a point. I've been spending a _lot_ of time with Lily recently. "What are you guys talking about?"

"The full moon is in two nights," Sirius reminds me.

"Oh yeah," I say, shooting a guilty look at Remus. He gives me a faint smile to let me know that he isn't offended. In some ways, he's a nicer friend than Sirius; more forgiving, less aggressive. But I also know that Sirius is the greatest friend that I've ever made, and I wouldn't trade him for anything, even if he has been a pain in the rear end lately. "So what are we going to do?" I ask.

"I was thinking the Forbidden Forest," Sirius says with a grin on his face.

"As long as we don't go near those spiders," Peter says with a shudder, his small blue eyes wide with fear. As the smallest creature when we transform, he has a good reason to be afraid of the abnormally large spiders that live in the forest.

"We'll stay away from them," I promise. "I hope we find something interesting this time." The last full moon had been rather uneventful, if you ignore the fact that we all transform and run around the Hogwarts grounds as animals, the way we can't as humans.

"Me too," Sirius says. "Last month was _boring_."

Remus is silent, and I move to change the subject. "Listen, I've been thinking… Maybe I should tell Lily."

"Tell her what?" Sirius asks. "That you're obsessed with her?" He snickers.

"No," I say, lowering my voice. "About being an animagus."

Sirius looks horror-struck. "You can't! It's not just _your_ secret, you know. It involves all of us. And I for one don't trust her. Besides, you think Moony wants his secret all over school?"

"Lily would never spread rumors about him!" I protest. "She actually likes _him_, which is more than I can say for you."

"You think I care if Miss Priss likes me or not?" Sirius snorts. "I couldn't care _less_."

"Can't the two of you even try to get along?" I plead.

"No," Sirius says. "And you can't tell her about our secret. Right, Moony?"

Remus looks startled to be dragged into the conversation so suddenly, but he only shrugs. "I trust her," he says finally. "But maybe you should keep it to yourself a while longer."

I sigh, but agree. After all, it's really Remus's secret, and I shouldn't tell anyone without his permission. I guess it doesn't really matter; It's not like Lily's seen us sneak out. She isn't wondering where we go, and she hasn't asked me about it. I have no real reason to tell her, other than I want her to know everything about me. Secrets have the tendency to ruin relationships. Annoyed with Sirius, I get up from the table and leave the common room. There's no point in going for a walk outside, unless I want to get frostbite, so I wander around the castle, wondering what I should put together for Lily's birthday.

The astronomy tower is out, because of the snow. I doubt Lily wants to sit outside, even if it does have a kind of history for us. I'd rather not sit in the kitchens, with all the house elves watching us, though I'll have to get some food from them beforehand. What else? Candles? Wine glasses and butterbeer? While I had no problem with it, I knew Lily would object to Firewhiskey, since we're at school. And then there was the problem of what to get her for a present. It needed to be special, but not anything that might scare her off. Definitely not a ring of any kind; that would certainly give her the wrong impression. She didn't seem like the type to wear bracelets, so that was out, too. A necklace might work, but what kind?

I let out another loud sigh and run my hand through my hair. Planning things was a lot of work.

. . .

Two days later, on the full moon, we transformed and ran amok in the Forbidden Forest, having the time of our lives. We didn't find anything especially interesting, but it was fun nonetheless.

We only wore the invisibility cloak up to the painting of the Fat Lady, where I pulled it off, folded it up, and climbed through the portrait hole after the others, laughing at the jokes Sirius had been cracking for the past ten minutes. That's when I notice the three of them all staring at the couch in front of the fire, where Lily is sitting, looking at us with a confused expression on her face.

"Hey," she says, her eyes meeting mine.

"Good luck," Sirius says, before dashing up the stairs to our dormitory. Remus and Peter follow him hastily, while I plop down on the couch next to Lily and throw my arm around her.

"Hi," I answer, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"You weren't pulling another prank, were you?" Lily asks, pulling away from me, her green eyes hard. "You're the Head Boy now, you can't do stuff like that anymore! You're supposed to be setting an example for the younger students, and if they see you-"

"Lily, relax," I laugh. "We weren't setting up any kind of prank. What are you doing up? Couldn't sleep?" I ask in a hurry to change the subject.

She shook her head, leaning back into me. "It's gotten better," she says, "But tonight I just couldn't fall asleep. I might be able to now, though," she adds, slipping her arms around my middle to hug me. She lets out a contented sigh, and closes her eyes. I close mine as well, giving a silent thanks that she didn't ask me where we had been again.

But of course, I end up jinxing myself, because she chooses that moment to ask, "So where did you go, if you weren't off playing a prank?"

I think about what to say as I twist my fingers in her hair. "I can't tell you."

Lily sits up, pulling away from me again. I sigh, though I had a feeling this was coming. "Why not?" She's reproachful.

"It's not my secret to tell," I try to explain. "You'll have to ask Lupin if you're that interested."

"I will." Now she sounds determined.

"Are you mad at me?"

"No."

"You sound mad."

"I'm not mad."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Are you _sure_?"

"I'm going to be if you don't shut up."

"So you're not mad at me right now?"

"Shut up, James!"

"Make me," I grin. It's kind of funny to see her so annoyed, the way she used to get before she liked me.

"Fine," she says, glaring at me. She leans over and crushes her lips roughly against mine. It's a good way to shut me up, albeit a painful way. The harsh kiss gives way to one that is softer, yet somehow fiercer. This is different from the past kisses we've shared, as we both know that we won't be interrupted now. I wonder briefly if Lily _is_ mad at me, because her hands tug at my hair with more force than usual. I pull back a little in surprise when her teeth graze my lip, but I immediately close the space again.

Lily pulls her arms away from my neck, and slips her hands under my shirt. Her hands are warm and soft, gentle as they brush my chest, stroking my bare skin as she pushes my shirt up and out of the way. I'm all too aware of how close she is, and the feel of her body pressed against mine. When I've run out of air, I pull my lips away from hers, breathing heavily. She gives me a bright smile, that irresistible smile I've always loved. I lean my head down and press my lips against her neck, but she is impatient, and she pulls me back up to meet her lips.

I know now should be when we stop, when we sit in comfortable silence, holding each other. But then her lips part, and as I slide my tongue into her mouth, I'm very near gone. When I feel as though my lungs are about to burst, I pull away again. "Hang on," I pant, taking a few deep breathes. With oxygen in my brain, it's easier to think clearly, and I know better than to let her kiss me again. "You know, I'm getting kind of tired."

"You're bored," she says flatly, turning away from me.

"Bored?" I ask, thoroughly confused. "What does that mean, exactly?"

"Do you know how many girls you've dated?" Lily asks, her voice breaking slightly.

"I hadn't really thought to keep track…"

"Thirteen," she answers, interrupting me. "And how many of them have you had a real relationship with?"

"Just you," I promise, unable to understand what her point is.

"And am I the only one that you haven't…," she trails off, but I hear what she has failed to say.

"You know, despite popular belief, I _do _possess a set of morals. I never slept with any of those girls," I say, relieved that I finally figured out what she was getting at. She's jealous of those other girls? There's nothing to be jealous of. Lily Evans is the only girl I'm ever going to want, and I tell her so.

Her face is bright red, and her green eyes are bright. I wonder if she might cry, but she doesn't. She ducks her head and says, "I'm sorry. I don't know what my problem is tonight."

I shrug. "That's okay. But it means you've used up your free Crazy Girlfriend Meltdown card for the month."

She stares at me. "I know you think you're funny," Lily informs me, "But you're really not."

"You think I'm hilarious," I reply, smiling. "Don't deny it."

"You're the worst comedian ever," she insists.

"I am deeply offended," I say.

Lily's serious demeanor cracks and she laughs. "Don't be. I love you."

"I love you too."

. . .

**Lily's POV**

We sit on the couch for a while longer, wrapped in each other's arms. James is warm and comforting, and he smells pleasant, like pine and cedar. I twist my neck around to look at him, and when my gaze meets his hazel eyes, I can't resist leaning in for another kiss. It's much calmer than the last kiss, and I'm glad James came to his senses before we did anything stupid. I really do love him, but I can't imagine how embarrassed I would be after such an unromantic moment on the common room couch. I mean, really, how much worse could it get?

"Lily?" James mumbles through our kiss.

"Mm?"

"I was just thinking," he begins, "and I was wondering if you might be interested in spending the Easter holiday with me. I know it's two and a half months away, but it's always good to plan ahead."

I smile, amused, at how nervous he sounds. "Where?"

"Nowhere special. Just my house."

"To meet your parents?"

"Yes."

"I'd love to," I tell him honestly. After spending every day for the past five months together (even if we haven't been a couple the entire time), I think two weeks away from him might drive me a little insane.

"Really? That's great!" James says enthusiastically, pressing his lips to mine again. Then he yawns widely, and tells me, "We should go to bed."

"Alright," I sigh, wishing he didn't have to leave me. I'm so much more comfortable in his arms than I was in my own bed. But falling asleep on the couch where everyone would see us wasn't an option, and sharing his bed wasn't either. Not only would I be automatically annoyed with Sirius, who irritates me just by being around, but Sirius would be sure to tell _everyone_, even if all we'd been doing was sleeping. I don't feel like being whispered about. "Good night." We get up, and I hug him for a long moment, before letting go and heading upstairs.

"Love you," he calls softly after me.

. . .

My birthday is on the 30th of January, and I'm looking forward to it. I can tell James is planning something, because he's really not very sneaky. At all. He obviously thinks that he is, because whenever I ask him about what he's up to, he pretends he has no idea what I'm talking about. Let's just say acting would not be a good career choice for him.

On the eve of my birthday, I'm actually able to fall asleep, so I wake up feeling cheerful and well-rested. On my bed is a small stack of presents, and I decide to open the one from my parents first. The package contains the newest book from my favorite muggle author's series, and I set it aside to be read later. The rest of the pile consists of a diary from my aunt that I probably won't ever use, a leather anklet with a silver turtle on it from Tiffany (that she informed me she had been saving since her trip to Hawaii over the summer), a framed picture of the four of us in Hogsmeade from Andriana, and a pair of shooting star earrings from Kaitlyn, along with a few other small things.

"Thanks," I tell my friends, giving them each a hug. I put the picture on my nightstand, and then put the rest of my presents away in my truck. I can't help noticing that there's nothing from James among them. I try not to let it bother me, but I wonder if he forgot after all. Since it's a Saturday, the four of us get dressed in muggle clothes rather than our uniforms. I pull my hair back in a ponytail, and we go downstairs. As usual, James is waiting for me.

"Morning," he says, pressing his lips to mine for only a second, so none of our friends complain. He grabs my hand and adds, "Ready for breakfast?"

"Sure," I say, and I can't help but smile. It's one of those days where it seems like everything is going to be perfect.

For breakfast, I have pancakes with peanut butter and bananas on the top, sausages, and pumpkin juice. As I'm finishing, James slaps a hand to his forehead. Curious, I ask, "What's wrong?"

"Your present," he answers. "I forgot to tell you that I wanted to save it for tonight. I bet you thought I didn't get you anything."

"Of course I didn't think that," I say, not entirely honestly. "So we're doing something special tonight?"

"What? I didn't say that." I resist the urge to tell him that his secret-keeping skills are terrible.

Just then, Sirius comes over and sits down beside me. That's weird enough, because he usually keeps James between us if he sits with us at all, but then he says, "Prongs, go away."

James and I look at each other, and I see my own confusion mirrored on his face. After a moment of awkward silence, James shrugs and gets up, going to the end of the table where Remus and Peter are sitting. I turn so I can look Sirius in the face. "What's up, Black?"

"Happy birthday," he says grudgingly, handing me a small package. I take it cautiously, and Sirius lets out a long sigh. "Look, you and James are pretty serious, and he's been obsessed with you since first year, so I can't see him breaking up with you any time in the near future…"

"Is there a point to your lovely speech?"

"I think we should try to get along better," Sirius tells me, frowning. I can tell he doesn't like the idea of us being friends, and I can't say I'm too happy about it, either.

"You want us to be friends?" I ask, to clarify.

"Whoa, whoa, let's not go that far," Sirius says. "We just need to be civil."

"I guess I can handle that," I say.

"Good. I'm going to leave now."

"Bye." Sirius jumps up and returns to Remus and Peter. James gets up to rejoin me, but I wave him off and slide down to sit with my friends.

"What was that about?" Kaitlyn asked. Clearly my friends had seen the exchange between me and Sirius.

"He just told me that he wants us to be 'civil', for James' sake," I inform them.

"Weird," Tiffany says. Then she points to the package. "What is it?"

I shrug. "No idea."

"Well, open it," Andriana says.

Nervously, because I wouldn't put it past Sirius to give me something gross, I open the package. But instead of finding a dead rat or something similar, I find a pair of brown gloves, perfect for the current weather. They're nothing special, and I didn't actually need a new pair of gloves, but it's the thought that counts. "Wow," Kaitlyn says. "He actually got you something useful."

"And it's not a dead rat!" I say cheerfully.

For most of the day, the four of us spend our time in the common room, playing games and hanging out. James gives us our space, and while I half wish that he was with us, I'm also sort of glad. I don't spend enough time with my friends anymore. Besides, James and I will have the entire evening together, so it's best if I spend the rest of the day with the girls.

At around six o'clock, Tiffany, Kaitlyn, and Andriana drag me upstairs to get ready for whatever I'm doing with James. They dress me in a blue blouse and a black skirt. Andriana pulls my hair back into a half ponytail, and Tiffany puts a bit of makeup on my face. "There," she says, putting the blush brush down. "Perfect."

"Thanks," I tell them.

"We'll be waiting for you to tell us everything," Kaitlyn warns me.

"Yeah," Tiffany says. "So make sure you don't forget anything important."

I shake my head at them, give them a small wave, and go back down to the common room. James has changed as well, but it's not fancy. He put on a button up shirt, but left his jeans on. He grins at me, his hazel eyes bright behind his glasses. "You look beautiful, as always," he says to me, taking my hand.

"I like the shirt," I answer. "But it looks like you gave up after that."

"Kind of," he agrees with a slight smirk.

"So, where are you taking me?"

"It's a secret."

"Still?"

"Of course."

We leave the common room, and turn to the left. We climb some stairs, and I wonder if he may be taking me to the Astronomy tower, but we stop long before that. On the right side of a long hallway a few floors above the Gryffindor common room is an empty classroom. James pulls me inside and shuts the door, making the room pitch black. James mutters something, and a few candles light so that we can see. In the center of the room is a small, round table covered with a checked table-cloth, like the ones in all the movies. A couple of candles sit in the middle, with two plates and two glasses.

James leads me over to the table, and pulls my chair out for me so that I can sit down. "So gentlemanly," I tease, as he takes his own seat.

"You deserve it," he says seriously. He bends down and picks up a picnic basket, and flips the lid open to pull out the food. On our plates, he puts buttered rolls, steak, and potatoes. He fills our glasses with butterbeer. "I hope you like it," he says. "Not that I made it. The house elves did all that; I didn't want your dinner to be charred."

"It looks great," I say, picking up my silverware and cutting a piece of steak. I pop it in my mouth, where I discover that it tastes as good as it looks.

We eat in silence for the most part, only speaking occasionally, until we've finished our meal. Then James moves his chair around so that we're beside each other, instead of across from each other. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small velvet box, which he then hands to me. "Happy birthday," he murmurs, leaning forward to kiss me. We get a little caught up in the moment, until he pulls back and points at the box.

I flip the lid of the box open to see a beautiful gold chain gleaming against the blue velvet cushion. Attached to this chain is a gold locket, with the words 'I love you' engraved on it. The inside is empty, to be filled by me with a picture of my choosing. The chain is thin and delicate, so I'm careful when I take it out. James helps me put it around my neck. Normally, I'm not a big fan of jewelry, but I know immediately that I'll keep this necklace forever. "It's beautiful," I tell James, turning back to look him in the eye.

"I'm glad you like it," he says with a smile.

"How could I not? It's from you." Any more words are lost, as our lips connect in a long, sweet kiss.

. . .

A while later, we return to the common room, when we're finally able to pry ourselves away from each other. Most of the other Gryffindors have gone to bed, but I know my friends are awake, waiting eagerly for me to join them. "Thanks for dinner," I tell James. "I had a great time."

He grins. "Night, Lils."

"Night," I reply, and we exchange a quick kiss.

Upstairs, I'm barely able to close the door when they attack me.

"What happened?" they all ask in unison.

"We had dinner, he gave me my present, and now I'm here," I say.

"That can't be all," Andriana says, giving me a reproachful look. "You're supposed to tell us everything! We're your best friends."

"I know," I say. "You guys _are_ my best friends. It's just, my time with James is so personal, I don't want to tell anyone else about it. But you can see the present he got me." I pull my locket up and hold it out so they can see.

"That's beautiful!" Tiffany breathes. "It must have cost him a fortune."

"I hope not," I say, suddenly uncomfortable. I don't want to think that James spent a lot of money on me, when I'll hardly be able to afford a cheap present for his birthday. I sit down on my bed, and my friends continue to stare at me, so I reveal a few details about our date, like what we had for dinner. Finally, they seem satisfied, and I'm able to change into my pajamas and climb into bed. They follow suit, and we turn the lights out. As I lay in the dark, trying to fall asleep, I can't help but think that this is one of the best birthdays I've had in a long time.

**A/N: And there you are. Chapter thirteen. I hope you enjoyed it.**


	14. Valentine's Day

**A/N: Okay, so maybe I'm being silly, but I really do love getting reviews from you guys! The fact is, I get pretty lazy when it comes to finishing stories. I finish them because I get people telling me they want to know what happens in the end. So your lack of reviews equals my lack of desire to keep writing. It's just a fact. So I'd really appreciate it if you guys kept reviewing. Just click that little button at the bottom and write me a quick note. Easy peasy!  
Say what you will about this, but here it is: **_**Until I get at least five reviews, I'm not updating again.**_

**Wanna Make a Bet?**

**Chapter Fourteen – Valentine's Day**

**Lily's POV.**

With N.E. steadily approaching, the two weeks between my birthday and Valentine's Day seem to fly by. The teachers are piling on the work like there's no tomorrow, and if I thought I didn't have enough free time _before_ Christmas holiday, it's nothing compared now. At this rate, the whole seventh year will need Time Turners to get all their work done.

Normally, I'm not a fan of Valentine's Day. I think it's stupid a cheesy. However, having a boyfriend has made me see it through new eyes, and how it could possibly be romantic. Despite this new view, I tell James not to bother. After all, it's just an excuse to buy roses and chocolate. "I don't want any presents," I tell him. "And we just had dinner for my birthday."

"Are you sure?" James asks me. When I nod, he then asks, "This isn't one of those times when you tell me you don't want to celebrate, but if I don't get you a present anyways, you'll be mad at me?"

"No," I laugh. "I really don't want a present. I don't want to do anything special, okay?"

"Alright," James says. "If you're sure."

"I'm positive."

. . .

A few days before Valentine's Day, at the end of a Transfiguration lesson, Professor McGonagall takes James and me aside. "I just wanted to let the two of you know that Professor Dumbledore has decided to install private rooms for the Head Boy and Girl." I can tell from the way she's speaking that Professor McGonagall doesn't approve of this idea, but clearly she was overruled. "The two of you will be able to move into your new bedrooms after the Easter holiday."

"Excellent!" James says, dashing off to tell his friends.

"Thank you for letting us know, Professor," I say primly, giving her a smile. When the bell rings, I join my friends and tell them about the new rooms.

"You're so lucky!" Tiffany exclaims. "A whole room all to yourself, and I bet you'll get to decorate it however you want."

"You'll let us help, won't you?" Andriana asks, giving me a pleading look.

"Of course I'll let you help decorate my room," I say, shaking my head. They'd never let me live it down if I didn't.

"So, what are you and James doing for Valentine's Day?" Tiffany asks. I notice Kaitlyn has removed herself from our group. She's not interested in decorating _or_ Valentine's Day. I can't say I blame her; Valentine's Day is pretty annoying.

"Nothing," I answer. "I think Valentine's Day is lame."

"It is not!" Tiffany protests. "It's sweet."

"If my boyfriend needs Valentine's Day as a reason to be sweet, I've got a problem," I point out. "He should want to shower me with gifts all year, not just one day. I mean, I don't _need_ the gifts, but he should still want to give them to me."

"James is that kind of guy," Andriana tells me.

"I know," I agree with a smile. "That's why we don't need to celebrate Valentine's Day."

"For your room," Tiffany begins, switching to our previous subject, "I was thinking green and purple. Green is your favorite color, and purple goes so well with it. Or we could do green and blue, go for a grass and sky type thing. What do you think?"

"I think I don't even know what the room looks like yet," I tell her. "Let's decide when it's ready, okay?"

"Alright," Tiffany says, looking dejected.

"What are you three doing for Valentine's Day?" I ask, hoping to perk Tiffany up again.

"Nothing," Kaitlyn calls over her shoulder. This is only thing she adds to the conversation.

Tiffany shrugs. "No one's asked me yet," she says, "But most people wait until the day of. I wonder who will ask me." Her eyes glow, and she clasps her hands together. "I hope Robert asks me!"

"Robert who?" I wonder, realizing that if I wasn't so distracted with James all the time, I would know exactly who Robert is. "I thought it was Sirius you liked?"

Tiffany gives me a withering look. "Sirius was two months ago," she says. "Now I like Robert. He's… Well, he's in Slytherin," she adds, looking slightly abashed.

"A Slytherin?" I ask, raising my eyebrows in disbelief. "But they're all-"

"Robert is different!" Tiffany insists. "He's nice!"

"To you," Andriana mutters.

"Because he likes me," Tiffany sniffs. "I bet he'll ask me to be his Valentine."

"How about you?" I ask Andriana.

My brunette friend shakes her head. "No one will ask me," she says. "I'm too shy."

"You never know," I answer. "Someone might ask you. Like Remus?"

Andriana blushes, but that doesn't always mean anything. Anything can set her off, so I can't tell if she has a crush on Remus. I've always had a sneaking suspicion, but she's never said anything to anyone before. Sometimes she's more secretive that anyone I've ever met.

. . .

Valentine's Day falls on a Tuesday, which means no Hogsmeade trip. I don't really care, because James and I aren't celebrating. When I wake up that morning, I don't do anything special. I put on my uniform, my robes, and leave my hair down. Kaitlyn and Andriana do the same, but Tiffany is a completely different story. She braids a pink ribbon into her blonde hair, and wears a pink headband with a red heart on it. This is the most she can do, since we still have to be in uniform.

When we go down to the common room, I see that James is dressed entirely in black, and not in his uniform. I stare at him, and ask, "Who died?"

"No one," he answers. "But I thought we were boycotting Valentine's Day?"

"We are," I assure him. "I just didn't know you'd take it this far."

"Anything for you, love," he says, flashing me a grin.

"I think you may be over-doing it," I laugh. "Besides, you'll get in trouble if you show up to class like that. Go change."

"Yes, ma'am," he says, saluting me and marching up the stairs. I roll my eyes. He can be such a little kid sometimes. The others go down to breakfast without us, but I wait by the stairs for James to return. He comes down a few minutes later, dressed in his uniform and robes, and we go down to the Great Hall for breakfast. I'm a little surprised to see all of our friends sitting together, which they haven't done in a few weeks, but I'm glad that we can all eat together.

Besides all the lovey-dovey behavior going on, today seems as normal as any other day. Breakfast is the usual goods, nothing heart-shaped or pink among it, and none of the teachers make a single mention that it's Valentine's Day. I don't think they want to distract us any more than we already have been. Aside from a few of us, most of the other students are so interested in the day of love that classes are slow and little gets done. I think it's out of annoyance today that the teachers give us so much homework.

"Essays in Potions, Charms, _and_ Defense Against the Dark Arts?" I complain. "I'll be up all night doing these."

"Lily, dear, there's a very easy way to get all your homework done at a reasonable pace," James tells me.

"How?"

"Don't do it," he laughs.

"But I have to do my homework," I say. "I can't just _not_ do it."

"Sure you can," James says.

I shake my head. "No, I just can't skive off. My brain has been programmed to take everything more seriously than the teachers do," I joke.

"We'll have to fix that."

"I don't know if I like the sound of that," I say warily.

"Don't worry," James replies. "I'm just going to show you how to have fun."

. . .

**James' POV.**

In the common room that evening, Lily and I sit on the couch. "You know," I tell her, "I believe you still have to be my slave for a day."

"Oh yeah," Lily replies unenthusiastically. "Let's get that over with, shall we?"

"Wait," I say, holding my hand up. "We can't do it now. The day is just ending."

Lily lets out a dramatic sigh. "Yes, Master. We can do it tomorrow, then."

"Tomorrow is good," I say mischievously, "But Saturday might be better."

"Why? What's on Saturday?"

"You and I have a date," I inform her.

"I don't recall being asked on a date," Lily says, raising her eyebrows.

"I just told you," I reply. "Now you know."

"I'm not entirely sure that's the proper way to ask a girl on a date," Lily tells me.

"You're already my girlfriend," I laugh. "Proper doesn't matter anymore."

"Oh, no?" she asks.

"No." I lean forward and kiss her gently.

"Alright," she says. "Saturday it is. I really should be working on those essays."

"Aw, come on," I say. "Sit with me a little longer."

"James, we've been sitting here for an hour. I need to work on my homework."

"Alright," I grumble, releasing her. She gets up and disappears upstairs to get her things. She doesn't return, though, and I think she must have decided to stay in her dormitory so that I don't distract her any more.

. . .

Saturday morning dawns bright and clear, no rain or snow threatening to fall from dark clouds. Already the snow has begun to melt, but I know that spring is still a long way off. This is just one of those seasonal melts, where the weather tries to lull you into a false sense of security before the worst snow storm of your life comes around.

I end up oversleeping on Saturday, something I haven't been able to do in a long time. Lily has already gone downstairs for breakfast, so I meet her in the Great Hall. She's wearing a white long-sleeve shirt with black stripes and a pair of jeans. She's sitting with the girls, and oddly enough, Sirius and Remus. Peter is nowhere in sight, and I wonder where he could be. He wasn't in our room when I woke up, and breakfast is his favorite meal of the day. I shrug this thought off and sit down next to Lily.

"Looks like you slept well," she comments, handing me a muffin.

"Yeah," I say, spooning some eggs on to my plate. "It was the best night of sleep I've had in a long time."

"I'm glad," Lily says, smiling. There's no jealousy in her voice; I know she's been sleeping worse than ever lately, sometimes pulling all-nighters in the common room. She keeps waving me away when I offer to stay up with her, telling me I should get some rest.

"I had a dream about you," I add.

"Oh really?" Lily asks, looking amused. "About what?"

"I don't think it's appropriate for present company," I joke, motioning towards our friends.

Tiffany throws her hands into the air. "I don't want to know," she says firmly. The others nod in agreement.

"It was a joke," I answer. "Relax."

"So," Lily starts, diplomatically changing the subject. "Where are we going on this date?"

"It's a secret," I tell her.

"You and your secrets," she sighs. "I'm beginning to hate secrets."

"Hey, have I ever taken you somewhere you don't like?"

"No," Lily admits.

"Then have a little faith." With that, I put a forkful of eggs in my mouth.

. . .

"Alright, just tell me where we're going!" Lily begs a few hours later. "The suspense is killing me."

"Nowhere special," I reply. "Just Hogsmeade."

"Hogsmeade?" Lily asks, confused. "But there's no trip today."

"Faith," I repeat. "Don't underestimate me."

"You want me to sneak out of school? We'll be caught as soon as we walk out the front door!" Lily protests.

"Did you forget that I have this?" I ask, pulling the invisibility cloak out from under my sweater. I shake it out and hold it out for her to take one side.

"Actually, I did," she says. She grabs one corner, and we throw it over ourselves. "Now what?"

"Now," I say, "We check the map."

"What map?"

"This map." I pull the Marauder's Map out of my pocket and open it carefully. I tap it once with my wand and whisper, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

"What are you-?"

"Look," I say, holding the map out for her to see. Lily examines it for a moment, and then lets out a gasp. She stares at me, her green eyes round. "This is amazing! Where did you get it?"

"We made it," I say proudly. "Me, Sirius, Remus, and Peter. It took us a few years to find everything to put on the map, but it's pretty good, isn't it?"

"It's wonderful," Lily says. "But how is this going to help us get to Hogsmeade?"

"Look," I repeat, pointing to a portion of the map. She follows my gaze, and looks at the corridor on the fourth floor. "You know where that mirror is? There's a tunnel behind it that'll lead to Hogsmeade. We can use it to get there, and no one will catch us."

"This is impressive," Lily tells me. "You've really thought all this through."

"Of course I have. Now remember, you have to be my slave for the day, so there's no backing out now. You're coming to Hogsmeade with me whether you like it or not."

Lily hesitates, and I know that she's afraid to break the rules because she's the Head Girl and the teachers trust her so much, but finally she nods. "Let's go."

We go down to the corridor on the fourth floor, and I open the passageway. There's actually a whole room hidden behind the mirror, with a tunnel at the back. I pull the cloak off of us and fold it up. "We won't need it for a while," I inform her. We head into the tunnel, which is pretty dark, and I light my wand. Lily takes my other hand, and we walk for fifteen minutes, until the tunnel ends at an old wooden door.

I pull the cloak out again, and throw it over us, before pushing the wooden door out. It leads to a tiny room, and Lily and I are a little squished as I shut it again. We open the second door in the small room, and enter a bedroom in the Three Broomsticks. There's no one inside, and I shut the door, which had led to a closet. The door to the secret passage looks like the rest of the wall, with no indication that it's anything but.

I explain this to Lily, saying, "It'll open again when we say the password."

"What's the password?" she asks, looking a little nervous.

"Waddiwasi," I answer. We creep quietly down the stairs, hidden under the cloak, until we reach the door and duck outside as another couple is entering. Out in the street, it's safe to take the cloak off, so I pull it away and fold it quickly. Once it's hidden again, I take Lily's hand and we head down the street to a small coffee shop. There are only a few other people inside, and I order us two hot chocolates. They're delivered to our table quickly, with whipped cream and marshmallows piled on top.

"Mmm," Lily says after taking a sip. "Delicious."

I take a long drink, and Lily's right; it's delicious. The chocolate is warm and creamy, mixed with the sweet whipped cream and marshmallows. It's some of the best hot chocolate I've tasted in a long time. We sip in silence for a few minutes, and then Lily asks, "So what am I supposed to do as your slave today?"

"First," I say with a grin, "You have to kiss me."

"Easy enough," Lily smiles, leaning over the table to press her lips against mine. "What next?"

"That's all," I say. "While Sirius disagrees, I don't think it would be much fun to make you do something that you didn't want to do, let alone a whole day worth of somethings."

"I can't believe it," Lily says, leaning back in her chair.

"What?" I ask, confused.

"My boyfriend is a wimp."

"Hey! I'm not a wimp," I protest.

"Yes you are," Lily insists. "If _I_ had won the bet, you'd be giving me a massage or something."

"I can do that without being a slave," I remind her.

"But it's more fun if I get to boss you around," she says, laughing.

"Then I guess we'll just have to come up with a bet you can actually win," I say.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lily demands, leaning forward again.

"Just that you're not very good at making bets, love. You've already lost two, although I can't say that I'm sorry I won," I say. "If I hadn't, you'd still hate me."

Lily shrugs. "Maybe not."

"Most likely."

"You're probably right," Lily admits. "But I don't hate you now."

"I'm glad," I say. "So, are you still up to meeting my parents?"

"Of course," Lily says, looking surprised. "But that's two months away."

"Less than two months, actually," I say, "But who's counting? You're not going to change your mind, are you?"

"Of course not," Lily tells me. "I can't wait to spend the Easter holidays with you."

"Even if I tell you that Sirius is going to be there, too?"

"Why is Sirius going to be there?" she asks.

"Well," I say, "He sort of lives with us. He has since last summer."

"Oh," Lily says. She's quiet for a moment, and I can see that she doesn't like the idea of Sirius being there to ruin whatever she had thought our holiday was going to be, but she doesn't say anything. "It's no big deal, really, as long as he leaves me alone."

"You might not ever run into him the whole holiday," I say. "I'm sure he'll be avoiding you."

"How could I not see him once over the whole two weeks if we're going to be staying in the same house?" Lily asks.

I hesitate, and then decide not to tell her. "Nothing. Forget I said anything, love. Let's finish our hot chocolates and get back to school before anyone notices that the Head Boy and Girl are missing."

Lily doesn't say anything about it after that, but I can tell she knows I'm hiding something from her. I'm just not sure how to tell my girlfriend that she'll be staying in a house with over fifty rooms, and that my family is currently one of the richest wizarding families in the world. Maybe I'll be better off surprising her.

But then again, maybe not.

**A/N: I'm sorry this has taken almost four months for me to update, but I hope you like this chapter! I'll try to get the next one up much sooner. However, like I said in the beginning, I won't update at all until I get at least five reviews. It's not that hard, right? Just type a nice little message into the box belong this and hit 'submit'. Please and thank you!**


	15. Found Out

**A/N: Thank you to all who reviewed! I really, truly appreciated it. Especially that one person that reviewed once a day until I got off my butt and started writing. :P  
If you would all be so willing, I'd appreciate another five reviews before my next update. –hinthint-**

**Wanna Make a Bet?**

**Chapter Fifteen – Found Out**

**James' P. O. V.**

A few weeks before our Easter holidays, sometime in early March, there's another full moon. I wake up late that morning, a Sunday, and I'm surprised that I slept for so long. Although, I guess sleeping in until eleven after having stayed up until three in the morning shouldn't have been such a surprise. Slowly, my insomnia seems to be getting better. I can't say what caused it in the first place, but I think being with Lily has allowed me to sleep better lately.

I roll over to look at the other beds in my dormitory, and I see that Remus, Peter, and Sirius have already woken up. They're probably down in the common room or in the Great Hall for brunch. Knowing the way Sirius and Peter eat, they're probably at brunch. I roll out of bed and change from my pajamas to a pair of jeans and a red long-sleeved shirt. I put my glasses on, but don't bother with brushing my hair. It's always a mess, and no matter what I do, I can't get it to lie flat. I gave up on it ages ago.

When I go downstairs, the common room is almost deserted. Glancing out the window, I see that quite a few people are strolling around the grounds, enjoying the nice weather. Spring has been steadily pushing its way into our lives, but there's still a chill in the air. I wonder briefly where Lily is as I climb out of the portrait hole and start down the stairs, towards the Great Hall.

I easily spot Sirius and Peter at the Gryffindor table, stuffing their faces. Remus sits across from them, reading some book. I hurry over to them, and sit down next to Remus. "Morning," I say, already piling my plate with food. Sirius mumbles something around a mouthful of food, Peter waves at me, and Remus marks his place in his book before putting it aside and turning to me. "Ready for tonight?" he asks. It's always hard to guess how Remus will feel about the latest full moon, but tonight he seems almost excited about it.

"As always," I say, grinning. I quickly swallow two sausages and a piece of toast before asking, "Have you guys seen Lily?"

The three of them shake their heads. "Probably off with her friends, doing some girly thing," Sirius tells me. "Or she's in the library. She's always in the library."

I nod, and silence falls as we continue to shove food down our throats. When I'm full, I take a last sip of pumpkin juice and say, "I'll meet you at dinner." Sirius rolls his eyes, Peter nods, and Remus just turns another page in his book. I'm struck with a sudden guilty feeling, that I don't spend enough time with my friends anymore, but push it away. We had six years together. Lily and I have had just a few months. If she and Sirius could only be friends, I wouldn't have to worry about this kind of thing anymore.

I decide to heed Sirius' advice and check the library first. I'm disappointed and a little surprised to find that Lily and her friends aren't there. I don't know where else to look, so I decide to go back to the Gryffindor tower to get the map. Using it will be the easier and faster way to find Lily, rather than wandering around the castle. I give the password, climb into the common room, and go up to my dormitory. I grab the map and I'm going back down to the deserted common room with it when I hear voices. The portrait swings out and I watch as Tiffany, Kaitlyn, Andriana, and finally Lily come in.

"Hi James," Tiffany says politely, glancing back at Lily. I shove the map into my back pocket and flop down onto one of the couches.

"Hey," Lily says, sitting next to me.

"Hey," I answer. "I was just looking for you."

"Oh," Lily says. She glances over her shoulder at her friends, who are now huddled together at one of the tables in the corner. "We were just talking."

"About what?"

"Stuff," Lily says, smiling.

"What kind of stuff?"

Lily just shakes her head. "You have your secrets, and I have mine."

I feel a little annoyed, but I guess I can't expect her to tell me everything when I haven't even told her that my family is rich, that I live in a giant house, or that I can turn into a stag and run around with my friends the dog, rat, and werewolf. I wonder briefly how long I'm going to be able to keep any of that a secret. Lily's going to find out about my family as soon as she comes to stay for the Easter holidays, and that's not the way I want her to find out, but I can't figure out how to say it. If I say, "Hey, Lily, guess what? I'm rich," I'll just look like a conceited jerk.

"Alright," I say, letting it drop.

"Did you sleep well?" Lily asks.

"Well enough," I answer. Making a sudden decision, I stand up and offer her my hand. "Let's go sit by the lake."

"Okay," Lily says, looking confused. She takes my hand and stands up as well, and I drag her out of the common room. "Why are we going outside?"

"Because it's nice out," I say. "And I want to talk to you."

"About what?" Lily asks.

"Something important," I say. "I'll tell you outside." I pause for a moment, then ask, "Are you hungry?"

"A little," Lily says. "But there's probably nothing in the Great Hall anymore."

"That's not a problem," I grin. "Meet me outside, alright?"

"Okay," Lily says, looking slightly suspicious now. She heads for the Entrance Hall, while I walk quickly to the kitchens. Outside the painting of the bowl of fruit, I tickle the pear, turn the knob it becomes, and enter the kitchens. Immediately, I'm greeted by one of the many house elves. In a squeaking voice, the elf asks me what I want.

"I need a picnic lunch for two," I say.

"Right away, sir!" the elf says squeakily, hurrying off. Within minutes, he's back with a stuffed basket. He hands it to me, a large smile on his face.

"Thanks," I say to him. "Best service I've ever had."

The elf looks like he might die of happiness. I leave the kitchens and hurry through the halls, wanting to join Lily as quickly as possible. She's waiting for me down by the lake, in the shade of a particularly large and droopy willow tree. She smiles when she sees the basket in my hand, and watches quietly as I sit down beside her in the grass. "Didn't you just eat?" she laughs.

"I'm hungry again," I say.

Lily laughs again. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?" she asks, taking a piece of bread out of the basket and spreading some soft cheese on it. As she waits for me to figure out what to say, she takes a bite of the bread, before offering me some. I shake my head, and wonder how I'm going to do this.

"It's more like something I need to tell you. I haven't been very honest with you, Lily," I say.

Lily frowns. "You lied to me about something?" she demands.

I shake my head. "Of course not!" I say quickly. "It's just something that I didn't tell you. Withholding the truth, not lying."

"So what exactly have you been 'withholding the truth' about?" Lily asks, rather testily.

"I'm not really sure how to say this without sounding like an obnoxious jerk...," I say slowly.

"Just spit it out!" Lily says, sounding frustrated. I can tell that she's worried about what I'm going to say, although I don't see how she can possibly think that I'm going to tell her something like I kissed another girl or anything even remotely close to that.

"Alright," I say. "My parents... My family... We're rich."

"What?" Lily asks, confused again. This clearly isn't the kind of confession she was expecting.

"We're rich," I repeat. "Extremely. The richest in Britain, actually."

"Rich?" she says, reaching up to finger the gold chain around her neck. I didn't even notice that she was wearing the locket I gave her until just now.

"Very," I confirm.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" Lily asks, and I'm relieved to see that she looks and sounds normal again.

I shrug. "I wasn't really sure how to bring it up in our conversations. But I figured that since you're coming to stay with us, I'd have to tell you before we got there... I figured you'd be mad if I let you find out on your own."

Lily smiles. "I'd be really angry with you," she agrees. "I'm not all that fond of surprises, you know."

"I've noticed," I say, grinning. I feel so much better, having gotten that off my chest. Now all I have to feel guilty about is not telling her about me being an animagus. The rest of our picnic is quite enjoyable, and I feel somehow closer to Lily. It's not like my family being rich is a secret, but I'm glad that she knows, and I'm glad that she isn't treating me any differently.

We spend the rest of the afternoon lounging in the grass by the lake, only getting up to go into the Great Hall for dinner because I promised my friends. We go into the Great Hall with our hands linked, and sit down together at the Gryffindor table. Sirius, Remus, and Peter are already there. I shouldn't be surprised; they're never late for a meal.

"Ready for tonight?" They ask again.

"Always," I grin.

"What's tonight?" Lily asks, looking curiously at me and the others. Her gaze doesn't leave us as she puts several pieces of chicken on her plate.

"Just a guy thing," I answer. I shoot a look at Remus, giving him the opportunity to promise to tell her something, anything, but he keeps quiet.

"You're not planning a prank, are you?" Lily asks suspiciously. "You know you can't do that kind of thing anymore."

"Of course not," I assure her. "No pranks."

"Buzzkill," Sirius mutters. "But I do have something interesting planned for tonight."

"What?" I ask.

"You'll see later," Sirius says, giving me one of his famous wolf-grins. I can see from the glint in his eyes that it means trouble. I sincerely hope that it's not anything that will get us in trouble, and therefore me in trouble with Lily.

Right after dinner, Remus excuses himself and says he's going to see the nurse because he isn't feeling well. While he goes up to the Hospital Wing, I return to the Gryffindor common room with Lily, Sirius, and Peter. Remus has to be out of the castle before the sun goes down, but the rest of us can't sneak out until it's gotten dark. What if someone looked out their window and saw three giant animals roaming around in broad daylight? Peter, of course, would be hard to spot, but the rest of us stick out.

When it's finally dark enough, we say good night to Lily and head upstairs. I'm sure she doesn't believe we're actually going to bed, but we throw the cloak over ourselves and sneak back downstairs. We don't have to wait long for someone to open the portrait hole for us, and we sneak out carefully and quietly.

"So what is it that you have planned for tonight?" I ask Sirius.

Sirius gives a loud laugh, which really isn't the smartest thing for him to do, considering we're still in the castle and still run the risk of getting caught. I take the map out of my pocket and flip it open to keep an eye out. "You know how Snivellus is always hanging out? Nosy git, keeps trying to find out where it is Moony disappears to every month. I told him how to get into the Shrieking Shack. If we're lucky, Moony will kill him for us."

I stop dead. "You're joking."

Sirius shakes his head. "No joke," he says proudly. "I bet the slimy git is trying to get in there right now."

"Do you have any idea what could happen if Moony kills Snape?" I demand. Childish as always, Sirius didn't bother to consider the consequences. What would happen to poor Remus? He'd never get over it, never forgive himself. Not the mention the trouble the four of us would get in. We could get expelled for a joke like this.

"Calm down," Siris says, rolling his eyes. "It's just a joke."

I can't even bother with a reply. I know that I have to go stop Snape before he gets all the way to the Shrieking Shack and meets werewolf-Remus. I throw the cloak off and take off at a run. I don't meet any teachers on the way, and I'm out the front door of the castle in just a few minutes. As I sprint for the Whomping Willow, I see the edge of a cloak disappearing beneath the trunk.

I let out a string of curses, and speed up. I manage to reach the tree and slide through the opening before it starts up again. The passage is tiny at first, and I have to crawl on my hands and knees, but I crawl as quickly as possible. After about twenty feet, the passage is large enough for me to stand, and I spot Snape ahead of me. "Snape!" I hiss.

He jumps, surprised, and hits his head on the ceiling of the tunnel, and looks over his shoulder at me. "Potter," he sneers. "What do you want?"

"We have to get out of here," I whisper, my heart pounding in my chest. We're too close to the house that Remus is kept in, too human. "It's dangerous."

Snape snorts and pushes his greasy hair out of his face. "What could possibly be dangerous about a sick boy?"

"He's not sick," I say, breathing heavily. "We have to-"

My words are cut off with a loud howl. I know the sound, and I feel as though my blood has turned to ice. He smells us, his prey. "Go!" I hiss, grabbing Severus by the back of the robes, turning him, and shoving him towards the tunnel. I follow quickly, pushing him forward again.

Snape is surprisingly obedient, but he looks over his shoulder once and freezes. I'm almost afraid to turn around, but I do. I can see Remus outlined against the stairs that lead from the tunnel up to the house. He stands on his hind legs, snout in the air, smelling. I face front and continue shoving at Snape. "Go!" I snarl, pushing him harder than ever.

Somehow, we make it out. I grab Snape's robes again and yank at him. He manages to keep up with me as we sprint up the grassy hill and into the castle. Only when we shut the doors to the Entrance Hall do we know that we're safe. But I know it's not over when Snape has caught his breath and glares at me. "You're going to pay for this, Potter." Before I can stop him, he breaks into a run and is around the corner in seconds. He's not headed for the dungeons, though; He's going for the Headmaster.

Dumbledore is going to kill us.

. . .

**Lily's POV.**

Around nine thirty, I'm patrolling the corridors on my own, my thoughts focused on James. I wonder where he could be, where he and the others have gone. I feel disappointed that he's keeping a secret from me, but it's not like I tell him everything. Just this morning, I wouldn't tell him what I had been doing with my friends. Not that it was any of his business, because I can't exactly tell him my friends' deepest, darkest secrets. I sigh. This whole relationship thing is tricky.

I walk up and down the corridors, but I'm not really looking for students who are out of bed past curfew. Frankly, if they had the sense to press up against the wall while I passed, I probably wouldn't see them, even with my wand lit up like a flashlight. I just can't concentrate on my job at the moment. All I care about is knowing where James has run off to. Sometimes I hate how curious I am. It would be better if I just stopped worrying about where James and his friends have gone. I think I'm better off _not_ knowing, really. But that doesn't stop me from wanting to know anyways.

After about half an hour of wandering around the castle, "looking" for students, I decide to give up and go back to the common room. I'm not tired, so I decide to wait up for James. I'm climbing a staircase to the fourth floor when someone jumps out at me. I barely manage not to scream, and I nearly fall backwards, but I manage to grab onto the railing of the staircase and steady myself. I hold my wand up, and the light of it falls on the person. I guess by now, I shouldn't be surprised that it's Severus.

"What do you want?" I ask, pressing a hand against my chest. My heart is beating wildly, but it slows down as my brain relays to it that there's nothing to be afraid of.

"Sorry," Severus says, sounding sincere. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"What do you want?" I repeat.

"Your saintly boyfriend isn't as great as you think he is," Severus sneers, getting right to the point. He glares, not at me, but at the thought of James.

I let out something that's a cross between an annoyed sigh and a groan. "Severus, just let it go. I'm dating James. Get over it, okay? There's nothing you can do to change my mind."

"Potter and his little friends just tried to get me killed," Severus snaps.

For a moment, I don't know what to say. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Do you even know what's wrong with Lupin?" he asks me.

"There's nothing wrong with Remus!" I say heatedly. "If you're going to insult my friends, just go away."

"_Friends_?" Severus asks. "You call those people _friends_?"

"Yes," I answer simply.

"Remus Lupin is a werewolf!" Severus spits out.

This leaves me speechless. My brain is struggling to process the information, and as I stand there and think about it, I realize that Severus has to be right. Remus _does_ disappear once a month, and tonight is a full moon… I quickly make up my mind and glare at Severus. "So what?"

"So? _So?_ I just told you, your stupid boyfriend and his dumb friends tried to kill me! Black tricked me, sent me down to where they keep Lupin. If Potter hadn't chickened out at the last minute, I'd be dead now."

"So James saved you," I say, crossing my arms.

"To save himself!" Severus practically screams. "He did it to save his own skin, not because he felt bad."

"James would never try to kill anyone," I snap. "Not even you."

"So you don't believe me?"

"No," I say. "James isn't like that."

"Then ask him yourself," Severus says angrily. Then he lets out a loud laugh. "It doesn't matter; he'll just lie to you about it."

"James would never lie to me!" I say. "I'm done talking to you, Severus."

Before he has the chance to reply, I push past him and hurry back to the Gryffindor common room. The common room is deserted, except for one person. James is sitting on a couch in front of the fire, waiting for me. "Hey," he says when he sees me. He doesn't smile. He looks exhausted.

"Hey," I answer. I sit down beside him, and he wraps one arm around me. I lean into him, grateful that he's not going to try to push me away from whatever's bothering him. "What's wrong?"

James sighs. "It's a long story, love. I can't tell you tonight."

"Why not?" I ask indignantly, sitting up.

"It's not my secret to tell," he answers, looking at me sadly. "You'll have to ask Remus tomorrow."

"James," I say slowly. "Is Remus…? He's a werewolf, isn't he?"

James stares at me for what feels like forever. "How did you find out?" he says finally.

I sigh. "The truth is," I say, picking my words carefully, "I ran into Severus while I was patrolling the corridors just now."

James curses under his breath. "Whatever he told you was probably so twisted that it's not even the truth. He hates me; he's trying to make you hate me, too."

"Nothing Severus says will make me hate you," I say. James gives me a faint smile, but doesn't say anything else. I decide to press on. "So you didn't really try to kill him, did you?"

"Gets right to the point, that one does," James mutters. "It wasn't my idea. It was Sirius'. I just managed to stop Snape from getting near Remus. I just got through listening to Dumbledore lecture us for about half an hour. Sirius has detention for a month. He's lucky Dumbledore didn't expel him, really. As for Snape, Dumbledore made him promise not to tell anyone… Obviously he didn't keep that promise."

"Would _you_ have told me?" I challenge.

James sighs and rubs the back of his neck. "I don't know," he admits. "I might have. I told you before, though, it's not my secret to tell. I would have let Remus tell you himself."

"Any other secrets I should know about?" I ask.

"Just one," James says with a smile. "I'll tell you tomorrow, if it's alright with the others."

"More group secrets?" I ask feeling slightly annoyed.

"What's the point in having friends if there are no secrets involved?" James jokes.

I don't bother answering him. Instead, I yawn loudly and then say, "I'm going to bed."

"Good night, Lily," James says.

I climb the stairs to my dormitory, feeling annoyed, and spend a long time staring at the ceiling before I finally fall asleep.

. . .

Two weeks later, as we're packing up for the Easter holidays, I still remember the day after our conversation. I'm still getting used to the idea that my boyfriend is an illegal Animagus, as are two of his best friends. I was shocked when he told me that the three of them run around with Remus when he's transformed. It's the stupidest, most dangerous thing that I've ever heard, but I know that James isn't going to stop doing it just because I object. He thinks it's the best way to make Remus feel better, and they're going to stick to it.

James' birthday was a few days ago, and I bought him a new watch. Now I'm packing my trunk for our two week vacation, and as I put my favorite scarf in, my stomach twists with nerves. I don't think I'm ready to meet James' parents, or the rest of his family. What if they don't like me? I can just imagine them deciding that I'm not good enough, and telling us that we can't date anymore. Maybe they're snooty and rude like Vernon's parents are. Of course, I'm the only one who finds them snooty and rude. My parents think they're great.

I've been alone in the dormitory for the past half hour, until the door opens and Kaitlyn comes in. "Are you ready to go?" she asks me. "The train is going to leave soon."

"Yep," I answer, closing my trunk and locking it. I follow her downstairs, into the common room, where the others are waiting for me. Usually, my friends and I spend our Easter holidays with Andriana's family. They'll be going without me this year, and I'll be stuck with Sirius and the terror of being judged by the Potters. Somehow, I don't think I'm going to be able to do any relaxing for the next two weeks.

**A/N: And there you go. Sorry the end is kind of abrupt, I felt like it seemed rather forced, and I didn't want to ruin it, but I really wanted to update. So hopefully you don't mind the horrid ending.**


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